West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has called for race organisers to shorten road closures after the controversial Velo Birmingham bike race was given the green light. Some major county roads – including the river Severn bridge at Holt – are due to be closed for much of the day, with the busy A443 closed from 8am until 3.30pm. The race organisers had to carry out a route re-think after realising that thousands of people would be trapped in their homes all day under draconian road closure plans. And although large chunks of the route were abandoned, the race is still likely to have a serious impact on county people. The Velo Birmingham bike event is planned to take place on Sunday, September 24 and local authorities have been critical of the organisers’ lack of consultation and communication with home owners. Now Harriett has contacted Worcestershire County Council asking them to look at the length of road closures – especially at Holt Fleet. Harriett said: “I was heartened to see organisers listening to concerns about the route but these road closures seem excessive and I fear they will have the knock on effect of causing traffic chaos. “The race only starts at 8am so even the very fastest riders aren’t going to be reaching the Holt bridge for two hours or even longer. “To close a major river crossing for the majority of the day is a high price to pay for the businesses who wont be able to open along the route as staff and customers simply wont be able to get there. “It vital that people share this information about the race route as I still think not enough has been done to communicate with local residents. “Anyone planning a trip on September 24 will need to know that several major roads will be closed and traffic is likely to be very heavy avoiding this race. “I have registered my objections and I urge people who are concerned about the closures to do the same.” County people can register their objections by emailing nrswa@worcestershire.gov.uk and copying to CSM e-mail route@velobirmingham.com