Residents gather petition against one-way changes
Wednesday, 8th January 2014.
Residents are gathering a petition against the proposed changes to traffic management which will see the one-way direction of Mill Road reversed.
Suffolk County Council intends to bring in an experimental six-month Traffic Regulation Order soon to make Camps Road one-way out of town beside the market square, and to reverse the direction of the wone-way section of Mill Road.
But residents in Mill Road, Helions Park Avenue and Recreation Road attended Haverhill Town Council's planning meeting last night to protest at the plan and said they were gathering a petition, which already had 100 signatures.
They asked members why they found it acceptable to move traffic from High Street into their residential roads.
On behalf of the council, town clerk Will Austin said they did not want chaos in small surrounding streets.
They had urged the county council to install proper signage at the Clements Lane roundabout to direct traffic there or up Crowland Road.
The move was in response to continual pressure over two years from the public to get something done about illegal parking and driving in High Street, after police efforts to clamp down on it failed to have any effect.
If it did cause lasting chaos anywhere, they would be asking the county to rescind the experiment because it would have failed.
But letters received by residents from the county council revealed one of the aims was to provide large lorries with an exit route out of town, which gave them great concern.
Mr Austin said that was not part of the town council's hopes or intentions from the proposal.
Residents said they would prefer the high street to be returned to through traffic with proper kerbs and zebra crossings.
Mr Austin said a town council survey had revealed 70 per cent of 750 people asked wanted to see the street pedestrianised, but residents said the answers would have been different if they had known it would be at a cost of a 60 per cent increase in traffic past their homes.
They also inquired how much the 'experiment' was going to have cost if it failed, and Mr Austin said he would find out.
Suffolk County Council intends to bring in an experimental six-month Traffic Regulation Order soon to make Camps Road one-way out of town beside the market square, and to reverse the direction of the wone-way section of Mill Road.
But residents in Mill Road, Helions Park Avenue and Recreation Road attended Haverhill Town Council's planning meeting last night to protest at the plan and said they were gathering a petition, which already had 100 signatures.
They asked members why they found it acceptable to move traffic from High Street into their residential roads.
On behalf of the council, town clerk Will Austin said they did not want chaos in small surrounding streets.
They had urged the county council to install proper signage at the Clements Lane roundabout to direct traffic there or up Crowland Road.
The move was in response to continual pressure over two years from the public to get something done about illegal parking and driving in High Street, after police efforts to clamp down on it failed to have any effect.
If it did cause lasting chaos anywhere, they would be asking the county to rescind the experiment because it would have failed.
But letters received by residents from the county council revealed one of the aims was to provide large lorries with an exit route out of town, which gave them great concern.
Mr Austin said that was not part of the town council's hopes or intentions from the proposal.
Residents said they would prefer the high street to be returned to through traffic with proper kerbs and zebra crossings.
Mr Austin said a town council survey had revealed 70 per cent of 750 people asked wanted to see the street pedestrianised, but residents said the answers would have been different if they had known it would be at a cost of a 60 per cent increase in traffic past their homes.
They also inquired how much the 'experiment' was going to have cost if it failed, and Mr Austin said he would find out.
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