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| Bury Free Press, 24 February 2004 |
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| BURY St Edmunds is in danger of becoming gridlocked as it struggles to cope with the increasing demands on its roads. |
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| Last week, the Bury Free Press revealed how the number of future housing projects are being scaled down due to the town's limited infrastructure. |
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| Now, Bury and Stowmarket MP David Ruffley has raised fears that the road network around the A14 could grind to a complete standstill. |
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| "Anyone who tries to drive into town during peak times via the Moreton Hall or central interchanges knows what a nightmare it is," he said. |
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| "With the number of new homes we are talking about over the next 12 years, it's only going to get worse unless something is done now. |
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"The interchanges will simply become a car park and people might as well just put their handbrakes on because they won't be able to go anywhere."
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| Mr Ruffley was speaking after the Highways Agency raised its own concerns about the impact of housing developments on the town. |
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| In a letter to Mr Ruffley, the agency's chief executive Archie Robertson said there was a real chance that Bury's expansion could affect the A14. |
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| "The agency has concerns that developments that result in increased use of these roundabouts will add to the existing congestion," he wrote. |
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| "This may result in traffic queuing on the A14, which, as you will appreciate, would be unacceptable from a highway safety point of view." |
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| A report commissioned by the agency looked at five possible housing sites within Bury and the effect they would have on the A14. |
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| Of the five, three of the sites – those at Rougham Road, Moreton Hall and the Howard Estate – were all found to impact heavily on the interchanges. |
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| With 4,000 more homes needed in the borough by 2016, there is a need to balance any new development against their environmental impact. |
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| However, Mr Ruffley claimed the report had paid no attention to a string of other developments that were likely to bring traffic into the town. |
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| "Land near Station Hill, the Cattle Market and the new cinema have all been earmarked for development over the next few years," said Mr Ruffley. |
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"All these will be pulling more people into Bury. But how are they going to get into the town if they are queuing back up the A14?"
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