Great natural beauty

Consultants Atkins in their Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study have with supreme caution, come up with a recommendation that the link should be 'considered'.It used to be referred to 40 years ago as 'the bypass' for Tickenham and fortunately there have not been financial resources up to now for anything more than consideration.What do the governors and planners of this nation want? Do they know?On the one hand we are being asked to save electric power, gas, cut back on road use and pollution and then they put forward proposals to expand airports and cover more lovely green belt land with roads - which will do just the opposite.The low-lying moor between Nailsea Wall and Tickenham is prone to winter flooding which is a natural occurrence and could be encouraged for wild habitat provision and upkeep of the local water table.This area is an area of great natural beauty with its morning and evening mists and a considerable diversity of plant and animal life.To build a dual carriageway across that in any position would seem to be a crime - creating an eyesore and pollution in terms of noise and fumes.When the M5 motorway was constructed behind the Tickenham ridge the hope was that traffic in the B3130 would be reduced.But as soon as the M5 came into use it filled up with traffic and the B3130 became progressively busier.If a new road should be built it too will fill up with traffic rapidly and give rise to more noise, more fumes, more entrances and exits to the motorway to jam up in rush hour and holiday periods and I foresee that nothing will have been gained - but a lovely landscape marred forever.This is pandering to the motorist, squandering more electricity for lights and road signs, pushing more carbon emissions into the atmosphere and gobbling up the floodplain. So please let's consider it out of the question.Joan Chapman - Clevedon Road, Tickenham