A WESTBURY resident has complained to the town council saying that road signage at Alfred Street, Westbury, does not go far enough to discourage HGV drivers from using the street, whilst trying to access the A350, and causing structural damage to houses.
The town council has recently installed signage saying ‘unsuitable for HGVs’ at the top and bottom of Alfred Street, but the resident said the signs had not deterred HGV drivers and more damage had occurred since the signs went up.
In a letter to the council, the resident said, “I was upstairs in my house when I heard a very large bang. By the time I came down and opened my front door to find my wall had been hit and the bricks were in the road in Alfred Street, my gate had been completely damaged and I had to climb over the wall to remove the bricks from the road. The driver had vanished! This is the second time my wall has been damaged in the last six months.
“The lack of signage in Westbury is appalling, we have lorries not being able to find Morrisons or Arla, and they are juggernauts! I am asking for help from the council, the HGV sign erected outside my house is ignored by all the lorries.
“I am having two to three incidents every day. I need bollards to protect my property on the pavement. I think a simple solution would be to erect a sign saying A350 straight ahead next left after Alfred Street for HGVs.”
The matter was discussed at the meeting of the town council’s highways, planning and development committee in December, with councillors opting to ask the community area transport group (CATG) to instal more road signs in the area.
Cllr Gordon King said, “We can ask CATG to put more signage up [limited HGV access turning right]. We could also ask them to consider ‘unsuitable for large vehicles’ sign as well.
“The fact that this has happened is disturbing in the context that somebody has not got it right.”
