Jacob Rees Mogg MP writes:

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) recently published expensive proposals for alterations to the A4 between Bath and Bristol. Many residents who will be affected will already know about this preposterous idea but I wanted to make all constituents aware of WECA's relentless campaign to penalise the rural areas of Somerset.

The highly unpopular and wasteful plans were recently discussed at a meeting that I attended on Saturday 23rd September, where a large number of residents used the forum to express their vehement opposition. The loss of amenity to Saltford, traffic congestion, increased travel times, increased pollution, danger for cyclists and displaced traffic using side roads as rat runs were all cited as strong reasons not to proceed.

A significant part of these plans also involves changing the Keynsham bypass from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway in order to make room for a lane in each direction for one bus that runs four times an hour. As WECA even acknowledges, this is already an extremely busy route. These plans seem certain, therefore, to increase the existing traffic congestion thus exacerbating the situation for those who travel by car whilst having a negligible benefit for those travelling by bus. 

It appears that, with the reduction of road lanes and the prohibitive ULEZ scheme, WECA is seeking to dissuade people from driving in and around the main cities, Bath and Bristol, which as usual are prioritised over rural areas. However, the recent culling of many rural bus routes combined with these motorist hating proposals will leave North East Somerset residents stranded, unable to go about their daily lives conveniently. 

Unsurprisingly, the survey that I am currently running on my website about this states, at time of writing, that over 92 per cent of those responding strongly disagree with WECA's scheme. It is vital that all constituents get involved to support Saltford and Keynsham so if you have the time please complete surveys at: www.jacobreesmogg.com/weca-survey and https://b2b.haveyoursaywest.co.uk/. 

I will do everything in my power to resist this and stand up for all my constituents in North East Somerset. That is why I have asked the Treasury to cut WECA's funding in the hope that taxpayers' money will not be squandered making people's lives worse. 

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me: www,jacobreesmogg,com / [email protected]