TRAFFIC campaigners in Bradford on Avon say their pleas for a bypass are being ignored and that the lack of one promises years of polluted air and clogged traffic.

Wiltshire County Council has just completed the consultation phase of the County Structure Plan Review, which outlines projects money should be spent on in the future.

Campaigners for a bypass for Bradford say the changes to the structure plan will do nothing to solve congestion and pollution problems in the town until at least 2016.

They say this ignores the advice of the West Wiltshire District Plan that a bypass is essential for the improvement of the environment and the preservation of Bradford's history.

Godfrey Marks, of Bradford Traffic and Transport Forum, said: "The planners seem to prefer schemes to save a few minutes on long journeys, which may well encourage more through traffic in Wiltshire, while neglecting the urgent needs of communities where the environment, economy and quality of life are succumbing to the ever-rising tide of traffic."

Mr Marks said to a survey in 2002 proved traffic congestion is the public's greatest concern in Bradford.

In another poll conducted this year he said 79 per cent of people supported a relief road.

The town council has asked Wiltshire Highways Authority to consider the traffic problems in the town and assess the feasibility of a relief road.

A spokesman for Wiltshire County Council said they simply could not afford to bypass every town and they had to focus on trunk roads in the county and channel money into projects in those areas.

He said the results of the consultation period would be assessed and multiple calls for a bypass for Bradford investigated.

He said: "The deposit structure plan focuses on improving the primary routes through the county, which are the A36 and A350.

"We will be looking at the responses and will report to councillors next year."

Bid to tackle the jams

A CRACKDOWN on illegal parking in Bradford on Avon has been hailed a success by police in the town.

For the second time this year police ran a two-week campaign targeting people parking illegally and causing traffic chaos in the run-up to Christmas.

Bradford Sergeant Mark Rees said: "Our main issue is solving congestion.

"We realised through this campaign that there are several key areas that can just foul up the rest of the traffic if people park illegally there.

"One of those is the loading bay on Silver Street. If someone parks there the whole place becomes a log jam and I will be speaking to the highways authority to see what we can do."

"There are some long term problems to sort out. We cannot simply dish out tickets to people and it makes more sense to sort out the problem areas and tackle the congestion that way."