How pedestrians, especially those who will live in new houses to be built to the south of the city, will cross an ‘urban motorway’ dominated discussions of the southern link road widening plan.

Councillors on Worcester City Council’s planning committee discussed the proposals of the county council at their meeting in the Guildhall today.

Invited to speak was non-committee member Roger Knight, who represents St Peter’s ward.

He said: “What we are talking about is an urban motorway. One of the major issues is traffic noise – the disturbance of 60-70 mph traffic on an urban motorway through a densely populated area would be really considerable.”

Councillor Knight asked the committee to request a 40 mph limit along the length of the road between the Ketch and Whittington roundabouts

He said that two road workers had been endangering their lives manning a crossing at Norton Roundabout until a partial light-controlled crossing had been installed.

He said that houses built on Ketch field as part of Worcester’s urban extension south of the road would be “on a desert island. How will people be able to get off. They won’t want to walk a quarter of a mile out of their way to use the underpass. This will be a barrier”

Councillor Lynn Denham added: ”The problem with the county council’s highways is that the car is king. Not enough consideration is given to the needs of pedestrians.”

Chairman of the committee, Councillor Chris Mitchell agreed with the description of the road, if it is dualled, as a ‘motorway’.

He said: “You wouldn’t try to cross the M5. There are two crossings provided and as a parent I’d make sure to walk my children the extra few hundred yards to use them.

“There are 30,000 people using this road daily to go to work and they are clogged up - this will be a real gateway to the city for business.”

The committee supported the scheme in principal but asked for greater consideration of pedestrians and cyclists in the plan.