A health study is being commissioned into the impact a controversial bus gate will have on the area surrounding a North Staffordshire traffic hotspot.
Daily Focus has previously reported that the Government has ordered the introduction of a bus gate on Basford Bank to deal with illegal levels of nearby air pollution (NO2).
The scheme would stop almost all private motorists* travelling westbound on the A53 Etruria Road (Basford Bank) from the A500 junction towards Newcastle-under-Lyme during rush hours.
However, many businesses and residents are against the plan as they think it would be detrimental to them, commuters and customers and could move congestion elsewhere – turning surrounding streets into rat runs.
Now the Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council has ordered a report into what the consequences of the bus gate would be.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, pictured, whose Labour administration took control of the city council in May’s local elections, said: “We quickly realised that work needs to be done into examining the impact of the bus gate on the health of people who live in the streets surrounding Basford Bank, where the traffic could be diverted to – i.e roads that could become rat runs.
“So we are commissioning a health study into that because we think more people would be negatively impacted by the increase of traffic in the smaller, surrounding streets than are impacted by the current traffic situation on Basford Bank.
“I do understand why the Government wants to introduce the bus gate from an air quality point of view – but we need to have all the facts in place and a clear picture of the wider consequences before reaching a final decision. So, we will be taking all our findings to them.
“I think businesses would welcome this move – because I know that many believe the implementation of this scheme would be a disaster for them.”
Jane said that the local authority was also closely monitoring the role the recently opened Etruria Valley Link Road could be having on easing congestion and air pollution build up.
She added: “It is quite possible that the air quality on Etruria Road will sort itself out in a few years as a result of schemes like this and new vehicle technology – so we do need to closely monitor it.”
The business community has backed the decision to commission the health study.
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce has been lobbying against the Basford Bank bus gate and has written to Government ministers to express its concerns.
Mike Herbert, Chair of the Chamber’s Transport Forum, said: “It has to be welcome news that the local authority is seeking to build a case which could challenge the effectiveness of imposing a bus gate on Etruria Road (A53).
“We recognise the need to improve air quality for residents across North Staffordshire but we’ve always felt that the bus gate would simply force traffic onto side streets, leading to congested local roads and ultimately moving the problem elsewhere.”
He added: “We are also concerned that the proposals do not take full account of actions that will improve the air quality in critical locations in the short term.
“For example, improvement of the local diesel-powered bus fleet significantly reducing emissions and the continual and growing use of electric vehicles – both cars and local delivery vehicles.”
Mike also agreed that the impact of investment in improvements to the highway network – particularly the Etruria Valley Link Road – needed to be taken into account.
He said: “By providing a much better link from the A500 (north) at Wolstanton to Festival Park and the city centre, the EVLR has reduced congestion on the A53/A500 Basford roundabout and therefore should have reduced ‘stop-start’ traffic in the critical air quality hot spot on Basford Bank.
“However, it hasn’t been possbile to evaluate the full effect of this yet because of the roadworks on Festival Way, near the Hilton Hotel, which has made that section one way towards the city centre for several months.”
Full details of the bus gate proposal, along with which vehicles would be affected, can be found here.
