Villagers delighted by decision to erect ‘Not suitable for HGVs’ signs
Residents of Westhoughton, a village near Bolton in the Greater Manchester county, have taken to the press to express their delight over signs being erected to reduce HGV traffic in their area. It's just one of a number of examples of HGV phobia to have registered in the media in the last week or so, with communities in Essex and Leicestershire both also complaining about aspects related to HGVs in their local area.
Residents of Westhoughton, a village near Bolton in the Greater Manchester county, have taken to the press to express their delight over signs being erected to reduce HGV traffic in their area. It's just one of a number of examples of HGV phobia to have registered in the media in the last week or so, with communities in Essex and Leicestershire both also complaining about aspects related to HGVs in their local area.
According to The Bolton News, signs that read ‘Not suitable for HGVs’ will be erected on Westhoughton’s residential roads where HGVs “often end up going by mistake”.
New signs will be put up to deter HGVs:https://t.co/R5nLnL5EPX
— The Bolton News (@TheBoltonNews) February 14, 2023
One local told the newspaper she “couldn’t be happier” with the news, while another claimed she “won’t have to worry” about any accidents or cars being damaged.
Local councillor Andrea Finney of the Conservative Party also told the newspaper:
“Myself and Cllr Martin Tighe are absolutely delighted for the residents. It has been a major issue with regards to safety for children and elderly residents, and cars and property being damaged. We understand it’s not the drivers’ fault, but by having the signage hopefully it will deter them from coming down these streets, which is not suitable for HGVs.”
Meanwhile, residents in the Essex village of Copford have taken issue with a housing scheme in their area. Extra HGV traffic is said to be one of their main complaints.
Graham Barney, chairman of Copford with Easthorpe Parish Council, told The Daily Essex County Gazette Standard that the sheltered housing plans had received 135 objections on Colchester Council’s planning site.
He added:
“Residents believe an alternative access is possible, safeguarding the residents of the road from risk and two years of HGV traffic and then any traffic from residents of the new development plus deliveries and potentially sewage vehicles.”
Those stories come little over a week after some residents and councillors in North West Leicestershire District Council vented their anger over a lorry park being approved.
The plans from Euro Garages site involve the construction 24-hour service yard on the A42 as well as parking for cars and HGVs.
Reacting to the news, Labour Councillor Dave Everitt told Leicestershire live:
“This could have been a site which would have brought in the kind of thing where kids go and play or a little area where the people could be entertained by pubs and things. But now we have this which will cause an absolute misery. I think it’s an awful mistake.”
One local resident, William Moore, even went as far as to call the plans “lethal”.
“It’s a narrow road, it’s a dead end road. If there’s an emergency on the site, there’s no way that those lorries can turn round. The road is too narrow. It will block it for people that would want to evacuate the hotel, the site just becomes locked up and there’s no chance of people getting out and there’s no chance of the emergency services getting in. This is totally unsatisfactory and it’s lethal,” Mr Moore told Leicestershire live.
Photo: Amanda Slater / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0