Pavement improvements at West End ‘need to be a priority’

RESIDENTS are appealing for the pavements at West End to be widened and the pavement surface repaired, following concerns over pedestrian safety in the area. 

Fountain Court in West End is a retirement housing complex and some residents use motorised scooters and walking frames, which they say are difficult to use on narrow pavements.  

The pavements from West End to Haynes Road/Station Road are also well-used by schoolchildren and parents with buggies. There are further concerns over the quality of the pavement surface as it is sloped and is broken in places, which could be a hazard for pedestrians as they walk alongside heavy traffic.  

Earlier this year, Wiltshire Council revealed that traffic was heavier as an extra 200 HGVs are being pushed through Westbury a day as a result of Bath implementing a clean air zone in the city, combined with a weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge.  

While the pavement cannot be widened due to West End already being a narrow road that is used frequently by HGVs, the town council’s highways, planning and development committee has taken the issue to Wiltshire Council’s local highways and footways improvement group (LHFIG) who will come up with proposals to improve pedestrian safety in the area. 

At the meeting, cllr Mike Sutton, said, “This does need looking at as this is one of the most appalling parts of Westbury [with regards to pedestrian safety]. Both pavements up the West End have long ceased to be pedestrian highways – this is a rat-run where pedestrians take their lives into their hands.  

“We asked Wiltshire Council to install barriers, but this was rejected as we were told the road is too small to accommodate the work. Something needs to be done, even if we just try to make the pavement itself safer to walk on. We don’t have any input on improving pavements, as that is the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, but we should tell them that this is an extremely precarious road at the best of times with the heavy traffic and that this needs to be a priority.”

When asked about what improvements he would like to see, cllr Sutton said that the pavement should be brought up to standard and repairs should be made to make the surface easier to navigate for pedestrians. He added that the pressure and vibrations of the nearby HGVs contribute to the deterioration of the pavement surface.  

Cllr Jane Russ asked if there was a case to be made about putting a flexible barrier on the road to give some kind of protection for pedestrians, but as the A350 is a trunk road – a road that is a recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic – barriers of any kind cannot be put in place. 

Cllr Mark Bailey added, “There’s nothing we can do about the width of the pavement however as the road is already very narrow.” 

Cllr Philip Harcourt summarised that a bypass would be the best solution to the traffic issues and subsequent problems with the pavement. 

Fountain Court Residents’ Association recently wrote to the town council saying that the increasing heavy traffic was damaging the building, and the poor air quality is having a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of the residents. 

The local highways and footways improvement group of Wiltshire Council will now discuss the issue at a future meeting.