The Gornal Tunnel

If there is one issue that unites the whole of Gornal in protest and indignation, it's traffic - whether we are complaining about the disgraceful lack of a car park, or holding public meetings to call complacent Council officers and police to book regarding vehicle speed and congestion down our narrow, school-lined streets. One of the most infuriating and often repeated statements by Council officials is that the road from Jews Lane down to Bull Street is 'classified', and that it is therefore not only necessary but desirable that heavy lorries should trundle continuously down it, endangering the lives of children and parents alike. But do they have their reasons for leaving us to stew in our own traffic cauldron? And do long-time residents and traders of Gornal bear more responsibility than we care to admit for the present problems? Twenty years ago, the Council proposed to build a major highway from the Birmingham New Road through to the Pedmore Road, bypassing Gornal and relieving our swollen streets. Unfortunately, it would have involved the demolition of 170 homes and so this "Black Country Route by the back door" was rejected. Four years later, in July 1985, an ambitious and imaginative solution was tabled; a "super tunnel" literally underneath Gornal (yes, we know it sounds like another Yampy April Fool!). This time, only twenty houses would be lost (including the Black Bear pub and Robert Street Baptist church). Further, the total cost of £27m would be supported through Government grants and Common Market subsidy so that only £6m would be borne by ratepayers. Immediately, a well organised anti-tunnel campaign began amongst the Gornal population, and pressure was applied to the Labour opposition group to fight the controlling Tories, in a finely balanced Council chamber. When it came to the crunch meeting, rebel Tory Councillor Joe Kendall switched sides, and the tunnel plan was lost by a single vote. Shocked by the result, Council Leader Jack Edmonds said prophetically "in ten or fifteen years time people will say what was Dudley Council doing?". A principal character in the anti-tunnel campaign was Councillor Ken Finch, who of course still represents our ward. Speaking to Yampy last week he was disarmingly honest in his assessment: "Looking back it may well have been a mistake" he told us. "Difficult planning decisions like this one should perhaps be taken out of party politics, when twenty votes either way can make a big difference at election time". Hindsight is a wonderful thing - so our intention is not to apportion blame for our current predicament. But we can't help wondering whether some of the same people who fought against the tunnel in 1985 are now complaining about the volume of traffic through Gornal. Planning Officers thought long and hard about our problem, and proposed a solution that the people of Gornal overwhelmingly rejected. Could this be why we always seem to be at the back of Dudley Council's queue? Are we talking yampy? Email us at feedback@yampy.co.uk.