Discussions continue to solve the town’s air quality problems

Westbury Town Council will work with Wiltshire Council to investigate potential traffic management measures to improve traffic flow and air quality in the town. 

Last year, Westbury Town Council took an active approach to the air quality problems in the town by agreeing to purchase an air quality monitoring device. 

Wiltshire Council has suggested the town council pay for their transport consultant, Atkins, to carry out a scoping study to investigate potential traffic measures in the town. They say this would give the town council data in order to prioritise areas in the town that need attention.

The study, which could cost Westbury Town Council up to £1,000,  could look into sustainable transport, what the town can do about walkways and cycleways to encourage more people to leave their cars at home.

Cllr Mike Sutton said, “I’m conscious we are always spending a lot of money, but we have said an awful lot about air quality and pollution, and our hopes to reduce it in the town. This data would give us more power in our weapons. 

“I feel the danger is, if we don’t take it forward, Wiltshire Council will say, ‘There we are, we tried to do something but they turned us down’.”

Cllr Gordon King added, “Wiltshire Council often say that they don’t know enough about Westbury. Getting a study back informs them of what we want to know. This gives another reason why it is so important that this town needs a master plan to give us the opportunity to tell them exactly what we want!”

Councillors agreed to put this forward as a recommendation to the full town council on 6th January. They will then discuss exactly what they want to get out of the study.