Through traffic set to be banned from village lane
IT FOLLOWS INCREASE IN PEDESTRIAN USE SINCE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW ESTATE
THROUGH traffic will be banned from using a road in an East Staffordshire village.
A traffic order has been approved for Green Lane, Tutbury, in a bid to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, Staffordshire County Council has said.
It will prevent vehicles from using the road unless for access to a property. Any driver caught flouting the order will pay the price as they will be subject to a penalty notice.
A pedestrian link to homes on the Heritage Park estate on the eastern side of Green Lane will also be reopened in accordance with the developer’s original planning consent, a county council spokesman said.
It will mean pedestrians will be able to cross the lane safely in a street-lit area, rather than walking along Green Lane to the next access point.
Councillor Simon Gaskin, who represents Tutbury on East Staffordshire Borough Council, has welcomed the introduction of the new order and said it he believes it is the safest option with more people moving onto a new housing estate.
He said: “With the Green Lane traffic alterations I’m quite pleased with how they have been developed.
“Because of the planning considerations there does have to be an access from Heritage Park onto Green Lane and to make it safe with all of the new traffic and new pedestrians, access only seems the only sensible and safe way to continue.
“If there’s traffic continually going up and down using it as a through fare and we know people don’t always stick to the speed limit, it is not going to be safe with the amount of extra traffic and people.
“I’m quite pleased with how it’s turned out.”
The traffic order will be introduced in the first quarter of 2022 followed by a period of statutory consultation with other public sector organisations and will be followed by a public consultation over the first six months.
Afterwards, an assessment will be made on the impact of the changes before the restriction on vehicles is made permanent.
David Williams, the county council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Safety on our roads is an absolute priority to us. The new traffic order on Green Lane is in response to the dramatic increase in pedestrian use on the lane since the construction of the adjacent Heritage Park estate.
“The legal obligation in the planning permission for Heritage Park to have a pedestrian access onto the lane makes it necessary to limit vehicle access to properties only to reduce the risk to pedestrians and cyclists on the lane.
“As a result, we can improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists on the lane and reopen an access point where people can cross. The pedestrian access to residential areas on both sides of the lane have street lighting, which is important, particularly as we head into the darker winter evenings. The change will mean that motorists will need to take a short detour.
“We will monitor the impact of this on local roads over the 18 months after the restriction is implemented before a decision is taken on making the change permanent.”