MAYOR cllr Mike Sutton is challenging the leader of Wiltshire Council to a meeting with Westbury Town Council to discuss the town’s traffic concerns.
Cllr Sutton says Westbury is one of Wiltshire’s air quality blackspots and suffers from heavy traffic, growing congestion and poor infrastructure with the large number of new houses being built adding to the problems.
And he says Westbury should be top of the list in Wiltshire for action on traffic and has challenged Wiltshire Council to come and meet the town council to discuss solutions.
The news follows the report in the last issue of White Horse News about Wiltshire Council’s bid for funding for a new relief road and infrastructure in Chippenham which Wiltshire councillor for Westbury, Gordon King, said was ‘massively disappointing’ for Westbury.
Cllr Mike Sutton said, “The comments in your last issue from Wiltshire councillor Gordon King regarding heavy traffic through Westbury was well argued and challenging and so it was with incredulity that I read the response from councillor Whitehead at the unitary authority saying Chippenham’s infrastructure is already at capacity which causes problems for the residents every day of the week.
“Either Mr Whitehead did not understand the points raised or chose to avoid the answer completely by stating how much Chippenham needed a second relief scheme because it suffers from heavy traffic, congestion, poor infrastructure and has had a large increase in housing.
“He could just as easily have been talking about Westbury where all those factors are part of everyday living and which is also one of the air quality blackspots in Wiltshire. Chippenham is not!
“The question that should have been answered is why Chippenham has a second traffic alleviation plan when Westbury is waiting for its first.
“It is worrying when those in authority do not understand the issue or worse, choose to ignore it, and if councillor Whitehead and his colleagues are bereft of ideas as to how to alleviate the heavy traffic through Westbury could I through your paper extend an invitation to come and speak to Westbury Town Council who have plenty of ideas and suggestions that may be of benefit to them and our town?”
