Mayor’s response to Union Street criticism

RESIDENTS are questioning the town council’s decision to propose reversing the direction of traffic in Union Street, with mayor cllr Jon Hubbard saying the idea is still in its very early stages.

In Issue 737 of Melksham News it was reported that the town council had agreed to make a request to the Melksham Community Area Transport Group (CATG) to explore reversing the direction of traffic in Union Street and whether a ‘left turn only’ onto Bank Street could be implemented. 

This caused local concern with people online questioning whether it was a late ‘April Fools’ joke. They claim that it isn’t a good idea and will create  accidents. They also say that the ‘no right turn’ out of Union street on to Bank Street will cause more congestion in the Market Place, with people having the travel through the town to the Market Place in order to turn around.  

Other suggestions have been made such as a 20mph speed limit, an access only road or speedbumps.  

Mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard,  said, “The idea originally came from a number of sources, including residents of Union Street as well as the highways officer for Wiltshire Council. 

“The area is a challenge, it is used as a rat run, which is odd because it actually takes longer for cars to pass through there than it does to drive round, but it is a cause of misery for the residents. 

“Some of the options that have been presented by the people of Melksham just aren’t viable. An access only road is unenforcable as there are businesses on that road as well as a public car park and a place of worship, giving people legitimate reasons to be on that road. 

“A 20mph speed limit, now I’m a big fan of these and I would have them on every residential street if I could. It wouldn’t make a difference because you’re lucky if you can get over 20mph on that road with the amount of vehicles parked on it. 

“Ultimately, the issue is that we have to make the road less attractive to use, make it pointless to use as a rat run. We want the only reason for people to use the road is to visit a business, friend, place of worship or to go home. 

“The idea is now with the CATG team at Wiltshire Council who will investigate whether the idea is viable, and if not, help to find a solution to the problem. 

“We are still exploring options, and new ways forward to solve the problem. We need to take on board that the people living on the street are not happy with cars continually going past their houses. This idea we feel is good enough to pass on to the CATG to investigate. 

“This is in its very early stages and will have to go through a period of consultation for residents on Union Street and the wider community before any changes are made, which could take anywhere between 18 months to two years. 

“If you have a better idea, then please do let us know. The reality is, solving problems may introduce separate problems that we will then continue to deal with. But rest assured, no changes will be made overnight.”