Ipswich roads system: call for better coordination, business research group set up over future concerns
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce’s Transport & Infrastructure Group (TIG) hosted a lively and revealing meeting (9th October) that brought National Highways and Suffolk County Council experts face-to-face with businesses and no fewer than five Suffolk MPs concerned about the economic impact of closures along the A14 and especially the Orwell Bridge.
Stephen Britt, chair of the TIG, said: “What became readily apparent was that the different agencies tasked with addressing solutions to dealing with closures over both the short and middle terms aren’t really taking the wider view – to the detriment of businesses and residents caught up in the never-ending series of issues on this vital strategic road network. Much better coordination is needed.”
As a result of the meeting, Suffolk Chamber has asked for:
- MPs to challenge Department for Transport as to why National Highways do not deploy Traffic Officers during major incidents along the A14 given its national importance and the impact this is having on the time taken to reopen the road after incidents
- Better information exchange and longer notice periods to be given between National Highways and Suffolk County Council and the Police regarding planned Bridge maintenance inspections (and hence preparedness should a lane need to be closed, for example)
- Investigations into the use of a ‘suicide net’ along the Bridge
- The Ipswich Transport Taskforce to be relaunched as a matter of urgency and its remit to be refocussed on the wider Ipswich roads system to include the Bridge
The meeting also approved the setting up of a business-led “A14 Improvement Group” tasked with researching the impact that the continued delays and diversions over the longer term are having on the growth and employment plans of businesses in the vitally important energy, ports, haulage and logistics sectors.
According to Suffolk Chamber’s head of public affairs, Paul Simon: “We hope that the Group’s findings will provide a much-needed evidenced wake-up call to encourage both national and local government officials to treat the roads system in and around Ipswich as a key priority. We believe that the current policy vacuum in terms of long-term solutions is so damaging that every viable solution should be actively considered as part of a coherent A14/Orwell Bridge strategy.”
The A14 Improvement Group is expected to release its findings in the New Year.
Find out more about the Suffolk Chamber Transport & Infrastructure Group