As the Halstead Gazette writes, Halstead Town Council has been seeking means of preventing HGV traffic from getting into the town for over 2 years.
Councillors argue the town’s twisty streets mean it is unsuitable for large lorries, while concerns have also been raised about HGV-related pollution from exhaust fumes.
It is reported that talks between Essex County Council, Suffolk County Council, Sudbury Town Council and Halstead Town Council regarding traffic management had been ongoing, only to be halted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now Suffolk County Council’s new route plan allows HGVs to the use the A131, much to frustration of some Halstead councillors.
Halstead mayor Jackie Pell is told the Halstead Gazette:
“This is really bad news, but we have come to expect it in Halstead. They have no consideration for us. What is the solution? We all expect a good life here and right now we are not getting it. Take Head Street as an example. Two lorries can’t pass one another because it’s so narrow. Head Street and the junction at St Andrew’s Church, they’re the real pinch points in Halstead.
Pell added:
“We have got to look at weight limits, it would be a start. We (Halstead and Sudbury) are in the same boat. Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council should be working together.”
A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council told the Halstead Gazette:
“The A131 from Ballingdon in Suffolk into Essex has been on the original Suffolk Lorry Route Network from the start. The recent changes have shortened the route to terminate just over the border in Essex.
Photo: Oxyman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
