EXPERTS recommended a Northern Relief Link Road should be built in Worcester as far back as 1992, it has emerged.

At the time it would have cost around £17 million - seven times less expensive as today's estimated bill of around £130 million.

Your Worcester News has been handed an old report on how to deal with the city's congestion, which was circulated among politicians 22 years ago.

Most of the ideas from the Worcester City Transportation Study, dated October 1992, have never come to light - with one former city politician now saying it was a "serious mistake" not to build the northern link.

The report stated:

- A Northern Relief Link Road would be the "most effective" way to reduce congestion around Worcester and should be pursued

- It would lead to an overall drop in 'travel time' by 24 per cent, described as a "substantial benefit"

- The cost was estimated at £17 million, but building it would be the best way of reducing future congestion in the city

The report also raised other ideas like a congestion charge for drivers to come into Worcester at peak times, set at £1 or £2 depending on where they wanted to go, and the launch of park and ride, which ironically did eventually get the go ahead before the Perdiswell facility was scrapped this year to save money.

Other ideas included a second city centre bridge, which would have cost £4 million, or the creation of 'red routes' around Worcester where parking or stopping was outlawed on main arterial roads.

The 30-page report was compiled by the late former town planner Colin Buchanan, who died in 2001, for the old Hereford and Worcester County Council.

He was well known as one of the UK's leading figures for easing traffic around cities, and worked on the report with unidentified partners.

It was believed to have taken months to complete, cost around £30,000 and involved stopping thousands of city drivers to ask them where they were travelling and why.

The old council was disbanded in 1998 and replaced by today's Worcestershire County Council, where the current Conservative leadership has ruled out a northern link, saying it is unaffordable and that south Worcester needs more roads investment.

Aubrey Tarbuck, a retired former Worcester and Malvern councillor who has kept an original copy of the report, said it was "folly" to have ignored the advice.

"At the time I was strongly in support of it," he said.

"It never happened and that was a big mistake, absolutely. It was a first class report, so much research went into it - it's something that should have happened."

Councillor Richard Udall, first elected in 1995, said: "I remember when I was first elected it was the subject of my maiden speech - I was against congestion charging but for a northern link.

"It was a serious mistake."

At the time councils were run by committee systems, and due to various disagreements over the merits of a link road, fears over the environmental damage and the costs, it was put to one side by then-Tory leader the late Bob Bullock.

Today's leadership is focusing on serious improvements to routes like the A4440 Southern Link Road in south Worcester, which is costing around £41 million, of which around £17.3 million is coming from private developers in return for the go-ahead to build new homes.

It also wants to dual the Carrington Bridge, citing that as an aspiration once the rest of the A4440 is dualled, but is not budging on any hopes of a northern link.

As your Worcester News revealed on Saturday, Claines Action Group has labelled northern link supporters "numpties" and says it would lead to more homes and industrial land being carved out across north Worcester if it ever got built.

Councillor John Smith, the current cabinet member for highways, said: "Once we get the work done on (dualling) the A4440 Southern Link Road it will go a long way to helping congestion."