Action day proves eye-opener on how many vehicles use High Street
Monday, 1st October 2012.
Today's day of action by police in Haverhill High Street has revealed anh astonishing number of motorists using it both legally and illegally - but no one received a ticket for illegal parking.
The police concentrated on a two-hour period between 11.05am and 1.05pm and discovered one vehicle a minute was using the street legally and far more were turned away as not having access under the current restrictions.
Insp Peter Ferrie, Haverhill's police chief, said the exercise had proved an eye-opener to him and to the borough and town mayors, Cllrs Tim Marks and Pat Hanlon, and town clerk Will Austin who joined police as observers.
During the two hours 93 disabled blue badge holders entered the street, along with 13 delivery drivers, of whom about half were couriers, and 13 people who required access, three of them to Gurteens.
This meant 119 vehicles were admitted, but many more were turned away. Police had two officers at the Camps Road entrance to the tmarket square, two at the top of Swan Lane and two going up and down the street.
This was the full strength of police in Haverhill, including the only response officer as the other two had had to take a prisoner to jail.
Eighty motorists were turned away at Camps Road and a further 29 at Swan Lane, but Insp Ferrie said many more saw police there and turned away of their own accord before being stopped.
No one was caught parking illegally. Public reaction to the initiative was overwhelmingly positive, even from drivers being turned away, Insp Ferrie said.
Police received just two complaints at their action, and pedestrians said how much better and safer it made the street.
No traders spoke to police about the action at all. It will be followed up by three undisclosed days of action by plain clothes officers.
But Insp Ferrie admitted he and the councillors were astonished at the amount of traffic with legitimately used the street.
"From today's exercise you can see the vast majority of people know full well that they must not drive down there," he said.
He said he did not think the proposed 20mph zone in the town centre would make the slightest difference.
"We have 60 vehicles an hour - that's one a minute - driving down there," he said. "We have all had our eyes opened today by how many people are trying to go down that street."
The police concentrated on a two-hour period between 11.05am and 1.05pm and discovered one vehicle a minute was using the street legally and far more were turned away as not having access under the current restrictions.
Insp Peter Ferrie, Haverhill's police chief, said the exercise had proved an eye-opener to him and to the borough and town mayors, Cllrs Tim Marks and Pat Hanlon, and town clerk Will Austin who joined police as observers.
During the two hours 93 disabled blue badge holders entered the street, along with 13 delivery drivers, of whom about half were couriers, and 13 people who required access, three of them to Gurteens.
This meant 119 vehicles were admitted, but many more were turned away. Police had two officers at the Camps Road entrance to the tmarket square, two at the top of Swan Lane and two going up and down the street.
This was the full strength of police in Haverhill, including the only response officer as the other two had had to take a prisoner to jail.
Eighty motorists were turned away at Camps Road and a further 29 at Swan Lane, but Insp Ferrie said many more saw police there and turned away of their own accord before being stopped.
No one was caught parking illegally. Public reaction to the initiative was overwhelmingly positive, even from drivers being turned away, Insp Ferrie said.
Police received just two complaints at their action, and pedestrians said how much better and safer it made the street.
No traders spoke to police about the action at all. It will be followed up by three undisclosed days of action by plain clothes officers.
But Insp Ferrie admitted he and the councillors were astonished at the amount of traffic with legitimately used the street.
"From today's exercise you can see the vast majority of people know full well that they must not drive down there," he said.
He said he did not think the proposed 20mph zone in the town centre would make the slightest difference.
"We have 60 vehicles an hour - that's one a minute - driving down there," he said. "We have all had our eyes opened today by how many people are trying to go down that street."
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