WELLS City Council is to consider pushing forward with a proposal to make it an offence to park on the pavement on Sadler Street and High Street.
The proposal is aimed at ending the problem of lorries and vans, in particular, stopping on pavements to make deliveries. This can pose a danger to pedestrians and other vehicles, and damage the paving slabs which then become a trip hazard.
The suggestion of amending the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) on Sadler Street and High Street will be linked to the removal of Blue Badge parking in the loading bays in those streets, to free up more space for delivery vehicles to park there instead.
Proposals have been drawn up by the city council’s Traffic Calming Working Group. Members of the Planning & Environment Committee agreed at their meeting on April 17 to take them forward for consideration by Full Council, probably at the meeting in May.
The Working Group suggests that the city council begins engagement with Somerset Highways on four points. As well as amending the TRO, the Working Group proposals are to move the bus stop at the bottom of Sadler Street to the coach drop-off and pick-up area at the top of Sadler Street; investigate a pedestrian crossing at the corner of Sadler Street and High Street; and look at installing a pedestrian crossing in Princes Road outside the Tesco exit.
These proposals have been formulated as part of one of the ten community projects identified during the development of the Wells Neighbourhood Plan.
The Working Group says that it has a much wider plan for traffic calming that it plans to take to Full Council after May.