It is clear from the comments left here there is a large number of people who see the proposed Road as the only solution to the perceived problem of traffic congestion and ‘rat running’ through underlying villages.   

Traffic issues within villages has always existed.  There are more houses within villages than ever before,  and there are also more cars on the road.  In addition to this the village roads were not built to handle modern day traffic usage.  Moreover the roads only tend to be busy during the peak hours in the morning and the evening.  It occurs to me that spending up to £30M of tax payers money on a three mile road to address an issue which only arises during a couple of hours a day without exploring less expensive options and ones that are more environmentally friendly is hardly a good and perhaps legitimate use of public funds. 

So what are the options?  Well here is an idea which has been adopted in France. 

About a year ago the City of Dunkirk made its bus system free.   This led to an immediate hike in bus use and a significant drop in car usage.  In fact the bus usage doubled on weekends and around 60% in the week. 

More revealing than the simple increase is the way that the free buses are changing residents’ habits. In a town where a large majority of residents (about two-thirds) have typically depended on their cars to get around, half of the 2,000 passengers surveyed by researchers said they take the bus more or much more than before. Of those new users, 48 percent say they regularly use it instead of their cars. Some (approximately 5 percent of the total respondents) even said that they sold their car or decided against buying a second one because of the free buses.

Thinking outside the box and putting the climate at the forefront of planning is what is needed in Norfolk.   Our Council needs to look at road building as the last resort and consider how it can help people to break long established habit.  

It needs to take the lead and come forward with radical and life changing ideas that will help us all to reduce environmental and climate impact. Shifting travel from cars to buses reduces emissions. 

It also has a huge positive impact on the local economy.  The Dunkirk initiative has shown that the free buses are also unlocking entirely new activity -- of those new riders, 33% say they're taking new trips they wouldn't have taken before at all.  This can only spell good news for not only the high street but also the leisure industry and rural retailers.  

Despite the claims the new Road will not make our lives easier,  it will only serve to reinforce habits which are bad, and which if we continue with, will only serve to cause further irreparable damage  to our environment and climate.   

Changing habit does not come naturally,  it does not seem comfortable to begin with, and it's only after sticking with the change that it will, with time, become the norm.  We should all be trying to change the wearing of our wrist watch from the left to the right wrist and those like the Council which possesses the power to make life changing decisions  should be leading the way. 

Help us to bring about a change in habit  by signing and sharing the petition to oppose the Wensum Link Road: http://chng.it/zGyJb6N5