A proposal to introduce a one-way system for traffic in Calne town centre, has been submitted to Wiltshire Council by a resident of North Street who has been working alongside fellow residents in a bid to find a better solution to the town's congestion and pollution.
Heather Betts told Calne News she lives in constant fear of a pedestrian being knocked down outside her home in North Street and sees daily 'near misses', so much so, she keeps supplies by her front door should she be needed in an emergency.
The proposal outlines a major overhaul of Calne town centre's road system with a one-way traffic flow entering the town centre from the A4 Curzon Street roundabout (near Whitehorse Vets), proceeding through The Square, Wood Street, and North Street, terminating at the junction with Zander Road.
Image shows before and after imagining if proposals go ahead (Heather Betts)
Footpaths could then be widened making the area safer for pedestrians - a large number of which, are young children. Furthermore, the plan suggests the installation of signage at the A3102 bypass (near Tesco), directing traffic to use the bypass unless intending to visit the town centre, rather than simply passing through.
The proposal now submitted as a Highways Improvement Request, follows a report prepared last year for Calne Town Councillors, advocating the one-way system to address congestion and pollution on our busiest roads.
Heather worked on the proposal alongside other residents - together they spent time looking at the various options and mapping the traffic flow - they discovered during their research that a lot of the vehicles using the town centre weren't even from Calne but were using the centre as a cut through.
Pollution is a major concern with not only fumes from exhausts but particulants from heavily used braking in congested areas filling our air.
Heather explained: "If one thinks calmly, a comprehensive solution to safety, pollution and traffic flow can all be solved in one action, making changes human as opposed to motor.
"We have to decide what kind of town centre we want - calming traffic or keeping traffic flow working by making it one-way?
"For me, really central to all this is the safety and human pedestrian aspect and health for walking and living in the town. We came up with this very simple solution that would see better air quality and traffic flow for motorists, and as far as I can see, I think it would work.
"North Street isn't made for two-way traffic it was built for horses and carts. I see pedestrians, motorscooters and children, literally taking their lives in their hands, the pavements aren't wide enough and it is a matter of time before there is a serious accident."
Image shows before and after imagining if proposals go ahead (Heather Betts)
The Town Council's planning committee unanimously supported the plans put forward by Heather Betts. The proposed one-way system is believed to be a "smooth" and "inexpensive intervention" to traffic flow and a more comprehensive approach than Wiltshire Council's current 18-month trial reopening of the High Street, which began in February.
Commenting on the re-opening of the High Street earlier this month, Cllr Nick Holder, cabinet member for highways, said: “We are pleased to have completed the work to open High Street to one-way traffic from north to south.
“Our aim for this trial is to improve the air quality in Calne and also help to relieve some of the traffic issues in the town.”
However, Heather feels the project is 'proving to be a superficial, ill-considered stab at a far more complex problem'.
She added: "The trial was based alone on pollution levels in the centre of town, due to more cars at certain times of the day trying to squeeze through a passage at Curzon Street, that cannot accommodate them.
"Pedestrians already negotiate pathways in the town which are extraordinarily unsafe at huge daily risk. Any safe crossing of the new road on High Street for a pedestrian has been given no forethought and the disability parking is further away, with disembarking now happening right into traffic."
Heather's observations of the re-opened High Street found that the traffic flow hasn't been improved during rush hour in Calne, with cars backed up the entire length of the High Street, taking longer to enter the A4 than going via Curzon Street - this was the case even before school runs resumed.
"The aesthetic and attractive nature of the small town has been gutted in favour of cars, many of which need not have entered the town as a perceived short-cut. The massive cost of this hasty project to address one issue only, without broader consideration, will have reduced the financial ability of Calne and Wiltshire councils to address these other pressing problems and will achieve only little benefit, if not detriment."
The new proposal has now been escalated to the Local Highways and Footways Improvement Group, who will be responsible for considering and implementing any potential changes. This could potentially lead to the re-pedestrianisation of the High Street, a move contingent on the effectiveness of the one-way system.
Proposed new traffic flow (Heather Betts)
Town Council members have also requested a meeting with Wiltshire Council's highways engineer to discuss the feasibility of different aspects of the proposal.
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