Over 80 people join the Stroud Against Gyratory protest

From Cllr Andy Reeds blog here

This morning saw over 80 people come to protest at the possible reopening of the slip road past the hotel and timber yard. I will hopefully have time to produce a video of some of the voices at the protest by next week. It was great to see such huge and passionate support for improving this gateway to Stroud - indeed cross-party support was very evident.


It was back in October 2010 that  residents, schools, businesses and interest groups launched Stroud Against Gyratory (SAG) in protest at County Council plans for the new Merrywalks road system. Well in correspondence with the County I, like others, have urged a proper consultation after the bridge opens - well it seems this is set to be launched on 6th Feb but is only a short one so we need to act quick. Andy Reed's blog spells out the options here.


SAG believes the option to reopen the road spells difficulty for anyone wishing to enter Stroud’s historic town centre on foot or by bike, and would lead to a dangerous gyratory system dominated by cars. What we want is fewer roads and better access! Indeed it is great to see how strong teh feelings were

“With the new Merrywalks Bridge and canal there is a once in a generation opportunity to create a beautiful entrance into Stroud whether on foot, by bike or by car. However, local decision makers are once again going for the simple option of more roads – under the misguided assumption that this will lead to more footfall in Stroud – rather than thinking creatively about how the thousands of people who live locally in Rodborough, Cainscross, Bath Road and Merrywalks can access the centre safely and in style.”  comments Rachel Lyons, SAG founder.

See earlier blog here about the protest in the summer that led to the commitment by the County to consult and here the petition that was never properly launched but can still be signed. See more about Stroud Against Gyratory at: http://stroudagainstgyratory.wordpress.com/about/