Council calls for Government to step up on A303 traffic issues
A motion calling for action has been backed almost every Wiltshire councillor
Wiltshire Council is calling for more engagement from Government in order to tackle traffic issues on the A303 in Wiltshire.
A motion demanding action was backed by 91 councillors at a Council meeting in May, after the Stonehenge Tunnel scheme was scrapped in 2024 by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on cost grounds.
Earlier this year, the Development Consent Order for the project was revoked, meaning the whole process will need to start from scratch.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways says the problem hasn't gone away.
"We need the government to step up and work with us. You know, that means engaging with us with sort of meaningful discussions, setting, giving us some options and time scales, and committing to a solution that absolutely meets the needs of Wiltshire and the wider residents in the South West," he said.
He told us that the impact is daily and brings safety concerns in villages surrounding the road.
Cllr Smith said: "Whenever traffic backs up on the A303, vehicles then start diverting through nearby villages, which, you know, creates safety concerns and real impacts on the residents quality of life."
No clear solution
The problem isn't just isolated to Wiltshire, as the A303 serves traffic down to the wider south west region, with plans for dualling the road seen as the solution for improving traffic flow and boosting growth, before they were put in the bin.
He said: "There's an economic hit on jobs over the coming years. We have seen some studies which shows that's a real economic negative as part of this cancellation."
Cllr Smith added that the cancellation of the scheme was so sudden that it left no real solutions on the table, and while he's continuing to speak to National Highways to solve the problem, he's struggling to see how the issues are fixed on a wider scale.
"They're talking about fairly minor issues, which may go some way to mitigating the issue with the rat running through local villages. But in terms of congestion on the A303,we need bigger solutions and the proposed tunnel, which is not going to happen now, was that bigger solution, so it's still not clear to me what's how we would fix that."
A National Highways spokesperson said: “We have worked with the Department for Transport, to ensure the A303 Stonehenge scheme is brought to a close. In the meantime, we remain committed to the maintenance and safety of our road network, whilst providing value for money to taxpayers.”
We've contacted the Department for Transport for comment.