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Freight Ignored' by plan
Page 10
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• Black Country business leaders are drawing up their own transport plan for the region, claiming the needs of hauliers are being ignored in official blueprints.
Sandwell Council's Transport Vision 2020, ,4 Strategy for Future Travel is singled out for particular criticism because it fails to include a section on freight.
Ken McIntosh, a member of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce's transport policy group says: "There are sections on walking, public transport, private motor vehicles, buses, the Metro and heavy rail. Having no section on freight is a bit more than an oversight, in my opinion."
McIntosh, who is business development manager of Birds Groupage Services in Oldbury, says the chamber's own transport plan will contain several ideas for easing traffic congestion. These include restricting right turns on busy roads and encouraging the creation of filter lanes at left turns. But Councillor Bob Badham, a member of Sandwell Council's cabinet, denies that freight is ignored in the 2020 vision document, saying it highlights several schemes that will help keep lorries moving. These include access improvements to junction 1 of the M5 motorway and upgrading the A4100 between Cradley Heath and Blackheath.
This month, the chamber is due to launch a website (www.blackcountryroads.com) where people can voice their concerns about the local transport network. In May, a 'transport summit' is planned where the transport needs of local businesses are to be debated with politicians.