WESTBURY Mayor, cllr Mike Sutton, has suggested that an HGV ban at nights or weekends could go a long way to improve traffic and air quality in the town.
In May, Wiltshire Council revealed that 200 extra HGVs are being pushed onto Westbury streets as a result of Bath implementing a clean air zone in the city, combined with a weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge.
Cllr Sutton says that the roads in Westbury are being repeatedly damaged by heavy vehicles and that air quality is being worsened by the vehicles idling in the town.
“A large amount of pollution in Westbury is caused by HGVs,” he said. “This is not just pollution from their exhaust, but also from the vehicles idling in the town centre due to the traffic, and on the narrow twisting streets through Westbury this is a real problem. The HGVs in particular are responsible for the rapid breakup of the roads and the vast number of large potholes in the town. I am considering running a competition for the best pothole-free road!
“The long wheel-based vehicles cannot get around the corners or roundabouts without going on the pavements, to the danger of pedestrians and cyclists. The roundabout at Rosefield Way and Station Road is breaking up due to lorries going over it and causing damage, the cost of repair then falls on the taxpayer rather than the lorry owner. Wiltshire Council will of course take no action until it becomes unsafe.
“A Clean Air Zone would be a better solution and would certainly improve matters. There could be an HGV ban at night or at weekends, something other countries find easy to operate for the health of their citizens. We could also do much more about lorries on residential streets such as access only or something similar.”
Could a bypass become a reality?
There have been calls for a Westbury bypass for decades as the A350 which runs through the centre of the town is a popular route for commuters, and it is also key route in the county as it connects the south coast with the M4 and onwards to Bristol and the Midlands.
Highways England is currently in the process of putting together an M4 to Dorset Coast Strategic Study and the local MP, Dr Andrew Murrison, has previously stated that if the A350 is chosen as the preferred route, then there are “clear implications” for a Westbury bypass.
However, cllr Sutton has suggested that a Westbury bypass is a long way off yet. “A bypass is always mentioned by Wiltshire Council as an excuse to do nothing and it is just a cop-out,” he said. “Any bypass is at least ten years away, probably longer, and that is assuming money and political will is there to do it. Climate change may prevent new road building in any case if we are actually serious about saving the planet.
“The leader of Wiltshire should stop wringing his hands and blaming Bath for the increase in vehicle movements in Westbury and actually do something himself. At least Bath values the health of their citizens and Wiltshire cannot be bothered about their own.”
