Tom Hunt: I want a northern bypass but prospect is remote

Whenever the bridge closes, we’re not talking about bad traffic, we are talking about total gridlock.

The whole Town literally grinds to a halt, I myself was stuck in the traffic for over two hours and completely get the frustration felt.

The Orwell Bridge once again caused frustrations last week (Image: (c) copyright citizenside.com)

I have long made clear my view that we need a northern bypass. We don’t have the road infrastructure we need and with housing growth, the situation is likely to be made worse not better.

Sadly, when it comes to the prospects for a northern bypass, despite my best efforts, prospects are bleak.

The current rules state that funding will only be available for a bypass if Mid Suffolk council accept extra homes.

They have made clear they aren’t prepared to do so and, until these rules are reviewed, it is hard to see a way forward.

It was hard enough when Mid Suffolk was Conservative led.

Now it is led by the Green Party, prospects for a northern bypass feel more remote than ever before.

I share the frustration many Ipswich residents feel about this situation, but I don’t have a magic wand.

I think it is best that I am honest about the situation as it stands.

It certainly isn’t for the want of trying on my part.

I’ve received some criticism this week for the situation.

In particular, some have raised the Ipswich Transport Taskforce that I co-chaired and the lack of tangible improvements flowing from the report it published.

From the moment the taskforce was established, I was sceptical about its worth and fearful it would simply become another talking shop.

With no formal powers or funding, I was always realistic about its likelihood of making any meaningful difference at all.

I’m sorry if anyone was looking at this taskforce and hoped it could be a game changer.

It was never likely to be.

However, one thing I accomplished whilst co-chairing the taskforce was to ensure a new variable speed limit was introduced on the Orwell Bridge.

On many occasions the taskforce enabled us to effectively hold National Highways (then Highways England) to account when it came to the implementation of the variable speed limit on the bridge.

This has led to a significant reduction in the frequency of bridge closures.

Haughley junction (Image: Gregg Brown)

I have also pushed hard to secure funding for the two principal rail infrastructure projects impacting Ipswich, Haughley and Ely North rail junctions.

Two months ago, I was pleased to see the PM commit to these vital projects being funded.

This will in the medium to long term bring forward benefits for the town, largely through more freight being moved from road to rail.

The reality is we have more and more people living in our town.

Whilst we have been seeing a significant growth in housing, investment in transport infrastructure hasn’t followed in the way it ought to have done.

Clearly some of this is linked to mass migration and all over the country, many cities and towns are grappling with similar issues.

You can’t keep adding the equivalent of over four Ipswichs every year to the country’s population, without thinking there are going to be serious knock-on effects on our infrastructure and services.

I have long felt that we need to be honest about these home truths which is why I’ve become so vocal on migration matters.

I thought it was interesting that the Labour candidate waded into the debate this week, saying that he also supports a northern bypass.

It’s very easy to say that.

It’s also very easy to criticise.

What his plan is for making any improvements at all to our transport infrastructure, well we’re none the wiser.

The idea that he would make any difference at all to getting the northern bypass over the line is the stuff of fantasy.