By james art 
Warwickshire County Council has announced two measures to ease congestion around roadworks caused by the first stage of Phase 2 of the Birmingham Road Improvement Scheme.
Warwickshire County Council has announced two measures to be introduced to ease congestion around roadworks caused by the first stage of Phase 2 of the Birmingham Road Improvement Scheme.
Ahead of the Runaway Mop, which will take place from October 25 to 27, the council has agreed to lift traffic management over the weekend. A recent removal of traffic management ahead of the main Stratford Mop earlier in the month is said to have gone off without a hitch and has helped traffic flow at this point.
Cllr Tim Sinclair, Warwickshire District Councilor for North Stratford said:
“Residents have asked if traffic management can be removed before key events which increase traffic in the town centre.
“WCC is working with their contractors to see if this can be done and trialled it at Stratford Mop earlier in October. Feedback from residents suggests that this is appreciated and has gone a long way towards easing the difficulties of traveling into the city at such a busy time.
“We have listened and in response to requests to repeat the Runaway Mop scheme, I am delighted that the WCC will once again remove traffic management on Birmingham Road for this event.”
Traffic management will be withdrawn at 3pm on Friday 25 October and will be reinstated on the evening of Sunday 27 October.
Further help comes in the form of the announcement that Stratford Park and Ride will offer free parking to all from October 28.
The county council is working with its suppliers to ensure that all parking payment mechanisms are deactivated by November 30 and the offer will be promoted outside of Warwickshire to attract trade to the town center and support local businesses without increasing the number of the vehicles on the road around the improvement scheme.
Cllr Sinclair added:
“Supporting our businesses on Birmingham Road and in the city center is vital. Many say they are affected by the impact of the road works and I sympathize completely. As well as doing everything we can to bring this first, particularly disruptive phase of the work to a timely conclusion, we are now aiming to help trade in the city with a promotional campaign that will offer commuters a viable alternative to driving into the centre.
“Thank you again to all residents and local businesses for their patience at this disruptive time. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope these measures demonstrate the WCC’s willingness to support you where it can until this first stage of work is completed.”
Full details of the scheme can be found at