I insist on a public inquiry Call after Boots Corner fine
AMAN has demanded a “full public inquiry” after he was fined for driving through Boots Corner.
Tom Bowhill considers any tickets for breaching the route’s closure to be invalid, because he says large vehicles often block drivers from seeing signs indicating the restriction.
The 75-year-old, of Charlton Kings, was handed a £30 fine for using the route on October 17 - but he has no intention of paying it.
“I am so incensed by this, I insist on a full public inquiry by Cheltenham Borough Council, which I am going to record,” he said.
A spokesman for the council confirmed it will not hold a public inquiry into Mr Bowhill’s ticket.
Mr Bowhill says he can’t remember why he drove into Cheltenham town centre on October 17.
“I went to get a bus from Charlton Kings into town, but it didn’t turn up and the next one didn’t either, so I thought I would take my car,” he added.
“There were two elderly people at the bus stop so I gave them a lift. I was being socially considerate.”
He claims he did not see any signs suggesting Boots Corner was closed before he drove through it.
After receiving his ticket, Mr Bowhill visited the area again and concluded his view of the signs must have been obscured by large vehicles.
“I have been headhunted five times to do turnarounds in industry, so I am no mug,” he said. “The signage is absolutely disgraceful.
“If there is a bus, transit van or even a large taxi going by, you can’t see the signs in Royal Well Road or Clarence Street.”
Mr Bowhill has started building a dossier of photographic evidence showing buses in front of the signs.
The council issued more than 13,000 fines for breaches of the closure in the first six weeks of the project, the Gloucestershire Echo revealed in October.
The council told the Echo it will not hold a public inquiry - but Mr Bowhill says he is not a man who likes to take no for an answer.
“Back in the 1970s I worked in Roehampton and had 1,000 craftsmen making artificial limbs under my watch,” he said.
“I was principal negotiator when there were strikes. I am the loveliest guy going, but I can be hardnosed.”
Speaking about a recent visit to Cheltenham town centre, he added: “I went to town with my lady friend.
“She wanted to go to Primark and I didn’t.
“So I stood and watched Boots Corner as about 12 cars went through in 10 minutes, at about noon on a Saturday.”
Mr Bowhill says the “chaos” included a woman trying to U-turn in the oneway system to avoid driving through Boots Corner.
He thinks the Boots Corner project is just a “cash cow” for the council.
Councillor Andrew Mckinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, said: “The changes at Boots Corner are a trial and we will continue to monitor the scheme with the county council.
“To date 812 responses to the trial have been received, however just 385 of these are formal representations.
“We’d encourage everyone to give us their feedback through the county council’s website so that it can be taken into consideration as part of the review (gloucestershire.gov.uk/ctp ).
“To ensure that drivers were aware of the changes, additional temporary signage and bollards were in place in Royal Well Road from early August.”
Those temporary installations were removed last month because they were only a “short-term measure”, Mr Mckinlay said. conor.gogarty@reachplc.com