CAMPAIGNERS opposing Warrington Borough Council’s controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes at Westy and Orford are again voicing their opposition to Planters being used to block off roads.
While the council is pressing ahead with revised temporary plans for both areas, campaigners are urging local residents to attend another protest rally outside the next full council meeting on December 5 at 6pm
Rachel Harper spokesperson for the Warrington Residents Opposition to the Central 6 Street Plan said: “When the plans for Hallfields road were originally released, I along with my team were delighted because we thought this was their solution to the traffic issues in Orford.
“Then came the revised plans with a smaller LTN scheme and it’s sad to see the council still hasn’t understood how their resident’s feelings about planters blocking off roads. Having looked at the revised plans, we can understand a bus gate being placed on Smith drive because though it is an access-only road, we are aware that lots of non-residents use this as a cut-through. The main source of outcry regarding a bus gate being placed on Hallfields was the fact that the majority of Warrington north would have been affected, with the majority of traffic being pushed down Winwick Road, which already struggles at peak times.
“The main source of anger for the revised plans, once again, stems from planters being used to divide streets and block off access to residents. The council needs to realise that nobody wants planters in Warrington!! We are living in a time where the cost of living is sky high, mortgages are going to be affected, even more so by this and people will have to use more fuel to go all round the houses just to get to their own front door. So, how can the council justify placing these specific LTN schemes in some of the poorer areas of Warrington, when the Climate Emergency commission in Warrington has recently stated that eco-friendly costs people more money? It’s the very opposite of what equality is supposed to mean in our communities.
“What we propose based on the feedback we have received via our unofficial group poll is that the council should get rid of the planters, and residents on Smith Drive, along with surrounding streets, by giving access to the bus gate via some kind of pass, as there should be no issue with people being able to access their houses. That way nobody can use Smith drive as a cut-through, to avoid the traffic lights on Orford Green to gain access to Hallfields road. What the council isn’t telling us is LTNs don’t have to involve planters blocking off roads, they can be things such as cycle lanes like we’ve recently seen in the Birchwood area. The LTNs are not supposed to make people’s lives more difficult, they are supposed to encourage people to take up more healthy initiatives, but the planters serve absolutely no one.
Rachel added “I would encourage anybody who is against seeing planters blocking off any roads in Warrington to join us at our next peaceful protest demonstration on the 5th of December outside the full council meeting at 6pm (The meeting is due to start at 6:30pm). The more people we have the stronger our message will be. It’s time this council realised that planters are not the answer to Warrington’s problems and if they are the council think they are; they are not asking the right questions!!”
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We welcome all feedback from residents on the Orford LTN, and encourage everyone who wishes to share their views to complete the survey, which runs until Friday 16 December at 5pm. You can find the survey – along with a range of other information – at warrington.gov.uk/central-6-streets-plan.”
Council reveal plans for smaller Orford Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme
