Local elections take place this Thursday (2nd May).  The result will have a profound effect on the future of our county.

Very few people in the county outside Hereford city are aware of the county-wide implications of the proposed Hereford Relief Road.  Apart from generating an increase * in traffic congestion within the city (with consequent environmental damage, etc.), the cost is estimated to be £7000 per household throughout the county.  A much better use for this money would be to support localised infrastructure, libraries, elderly care, schools, conservation, etc.  throughout the county - instead of being be lost to a project that will have a damaging effect on Hereford itself by exacerbating congestion and pollution, will destroy precious wildlife sites and the closest 'green-lung' recreational area to the city, and will seriously compromise the villages along the A49 transport corridor to the north.

A bypass is a 20th Century response to traffic management, now globally discredited.
The Wye Ruin It campaign website gives a lot of detail about the issues.

The Wye Ruin It team has compiled a list (PDF) of forward-thinking Councillor candidates throughout the county who promise to support sustainable transport and community-benefit policies.  There are candidates for all three Ledbury wards, and also Hope End (covering Colwall and Bosbury).

Anyone willing to help the campaign is invited to contact the organisers via the website and ask for regular email updates.

*

Surveys of Hereford city traffic have demonstrated that 85% of present traffic in the city is making short journeys within the city area.  A Relief Road would not remove any of that traffic from city roads.  Furthermore, 3000 houses are expected to be built between the present city limits and the Relief Road, thus adding considerably to city road congestion and pollution.