Chard Relief Road Justified on Pandemic Traffic Data, Residents Claim — And the Numbers Do Not Add Up

The central justification for the Chard Eastern Relief Road rests on traffic modelling that suggests the convent link junction, where the A30 and A358 intersect, is operating at 40 percent over capacity. Somerset Council planners cite this figure as evidence that Chard's road network cannot cope without a major bypass.

Residents challenging the project have produced their own analysis. Their figures suggest the junction is operating at around 8 percent over capacity, a congestion level that would not ordinarily justify a multimillion pound infrastructure scheme with significant environmental consequences.

The discrepancy centres on when the council's data was collected. Critics allege that Somerset Council is relying on traffic flow measurements taken during or around the Covid 19 pandemic lockdowns, a period during which road usage across the country was dramatically and artificially reduced. Using pandemic era data to model normal traffic conditions would tend to understate current volumes, potentially making the existing junction appear less able to cope than it actually is.

The council has not publicly addressed the methodology challenge in detail. No independent audit of the traffic modelling has been announced.

The stakes are considerable. The relief road, if built, would pass through established residential areas and require works adjacent to Chard Reservoir nature reserve. Once constructed, the changes would be permanent. Residents argue that committing public funds and causing irreversible environmental impact on the basis of figures that may not reflect current reality represents a fundamental failure of due diligence.

An independent review of all traffic data, collected under normal conditions, would appear to be the minimum standard required before the project advances any further.