Ipswich Traffic - A Northern Bypass?

Easy to Promise – Hard to Deliver.

A Northern Bypass for Ipswich has been on the agenda for more years than many of us can remember. What we have learned in that time is that while a Northern Bypass is easy for politicians to promise, it’s very hard to deliver. We should not let the wait for a Northern Bypass divert us from other measures to relieve traffic congestion in Ipswich which can be achieved now.

On latest estimates, building a Northern By-Pass could cost over £1billion. This scale of funding can only be found by central government. In the current economic environment, whichever party is in power, this is unlikely to be forthcoming. And even if the money was found, it would certainly be tied to a greater contribution from Ipswich towards meeting government targets for new housing. This would, of course, generate further traffic pressures.

Realistically, a Northern Bypass is not going to happen for many years. It is not a solution for NOW. We believe that there are things we can and should be focusing on now to ease traffic congestion in Ipswich. We cannot just keep waiting for a Northern Bypass.

The speed reduction on the Orwell Bridge which followed scrutiny and questioning by local Government of Highways England’s policy on bridge closure in windy conditions has helped a bit. The Bridge is not closed as often as it used to be. So, keeping the speed down on the Bridge remains practical and important.

We had a solution proposed that would have helped with waterfront traffic, especially during bridge closures, which was the Upper Orwell Crossing.  Lots of research has already gone into that solution. The Upper Orwell bridge plan was dropped as costs had escalated to over £30m, but this cost pales into insignificance compared with the estimated cost of a Northern Bypass.

We still have the Bury Road Park and Ride in the Borough’s ownership, and the bus lane is still in place, so let’s reopen it for traffic accessing Ipswich from the North-West. The original Park and Ride plan was for 5 sites including a Park & Ride on the south/east of Ipswich. This merits a re-look.

Investing smartly in providing alternative solutions to urban car travel - bus routes, safe cycling and rail options - needs to be taken seriously. Reducing speed in residential side roads will help residents feel safe to walk and cycle. Smart investment means a thorough review of the journeys people want and need to make in their daily lives. The last assessment was produced before the COVID lock-down, since when travel patterns have changed. 

On the same model as the Dartford Tunnel/QE2 Bridge, a second Orwell Crossing next to the Bridge, in the form of a tunnel, might be less costly than a northern by-pass and would avoid the challenging associated planning issues since it would be able to use the roads already in place for the Bridge. This option would address the almost intolerable congestion in town whenever the bridge is closed and is worth another look.