Concerns about heavy vehicles using the Station Road bridge has led volunteers to start a Lorry Watch scheme in Westbury.
The bridge has a 7.5 tonne limit but local people have expressed concerns that many heavier vehicles are using it. Town and Wiltshire councillor, David Jenkins, has set up the scheme which already has volunteers noting registration details of vehicles breaking the rules.
Currently there is a restriction on the size and weight of vehicles wishing to go under and over the bridges along Station Road. However this has not stopped some drivers from using this secondary route into and out of the town centre according to cllr Jenkins.
He proposes a ‘Lorry Watch Scheme’ where volunteers can help by looking for vehicles that are clearly over the limit.
Cllr Jenkins says, “We need the help of the local community to observe the bridge and the vehicles using it. The large and heavy vehicles are causing congestion and noise pollution, and some lorries cannot fit underneath the one bridge, which then causes further delays. There is a mandatory weight limit and local residents have become nervous when seeing these large vehicles using the bridges.
“Signposts clearly state that the weight limit is 7.5T so volunteers and local residents are needed to note details and any other information of these vehicles so that they can be recorded via a local coordinator and sent on to Wiltshire Council.”
If you would like to volunteer, on a ‘no fixed times’ rota or require further information, then contact cllr David Jenkins on 01373 823605 or e-mail davidjenkins53@hotmail.com.
