PLANS for a major overhaul of the A417 in Gloucestershire have been criticised by a resident who lives on the route.

Gloucestershire County Council has asked for Government funding for a £225m scheme known as the A417 Loop, which would transform the stretch of the road between Nettleton Bottom and the Air Balloon roundabout.

The section of road, which is largely single carriageway, is notorious for accidents and congestion.

The A417 loop would see a short bypass of Nettleton Bottom, widening of Birdlip Bypass, a new junction at Birdlip, a new junction replacing the Air Balloon roundabout and construction of an additional two lane carriageway down Crickley Hill, adjacent to the existing road.

However, Christine Shine, a Cotswolds representative for the Campaign for Better Transport , who lives in Elkstone, by the A417, is against the scheme. She believes that the existing road should instead have a 50mph speed limit, enforced by cameras, which she says would reduce congestion and the chance of accidents, as well as noise.

She said the Loop scheme would male the road a “super-highway for M5-M4 travellers” and thus increase the amount of traffic.

“Everyone who needs to get onto the A417 from their village has to face a stream of traffic exceeding the speed limit by about 20 mph," she said. "They try to find a gap from a standing start and then nearly blow their engines up getting from zero to at least 60mph in 100 metres."

She said residents who live in villages by the A417 haven't had a chance to give their opinion on the Loop, adding: "The Department for Transport are being told there are no objections. Of course not, we have not been asked."

However, the leader of the county council, Councillor Mark Hawthorne, said the only way to stop the casualties on the road and cut the congestion is the Loop.

“I appreciate Ms. Shine is an anti-road campaigner, but she should get her facts straight,” he said. “Over 6,000 local people have supported our bid. Speed limits and more speed cameras would have only a limited impact on safety and would make congestion worse on a road that is vital to jobs and growth in our county.”

MP for the Cotswolds, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said the increasing number of crashes on the A417 means that action is desperately needed.

He added that the "twice daily traffic jams, which cause the unacceptable pollution levels highlighted in the Cotswold District Council Air Quality Action Plan" are blight on "people that live closest to the road."

An announcement on Government funding for the Loop is expected in May next year, but it could be earlier. Rumours that the decision will be made next month have been quashed by the council.

See surveymonkey.com/s/noloop for more on the 'no' campaign.