Petition demands traffic measures removed

A petition calling for the removal of recent temporary traffic measures that are creating congestion has reached 10,000 signatures within two days of launching. Having reached this landmark, the petition is now due for a response from the Government.

The petition says road closures, ‘school streets’ and new cycle lanes are creating severe congestion, long traffic delays and severe frustration across the country. The petition’s creator, David Tarsh, believes Government guidance supporting such measures, and funds for them, should be withdrawn immediately.

Many councils have introduced schemes touted as encouraging walking and cycling, but their real impact is gridlock, according to the petition.

David Tarsh said: “Many people are rightfully very angry about the temporary traffic measures which have been imposed in response to the Covid crisis, for several understandable reasons. First, they are causing an enormous amount of congestion and inconvenience, with journey times massively increased. Second, they have been introduced with no proper consultation, which is an affront to our democratic values. Third, they have been touted as helping people to cycle but the cycle lanes are often empty, whilst the traffic alongside is gridlocked. Fourth, they create unnecessary pollution since crawling traffic is more polluting than flowing traffic. Fifth, lives have been put at risk with emergency vehicles stuck in traffic. Sixth, despite a great deal of local protest, many local councils are failing to acknowledge their residents’ concerns and finally, many councils are planning to make the temporary measures permanent, with their ears closed to the objections of residents.”