A MELKSHAM town councillor has suggested that a portion of the town’s High Street should be closed to general traffic on a daily basis to help combat air pollution.
Town councillor Tony Watts believes that Melksham should follow in the footsteps of Chippenham and close the High Street between Lowbourne and Church Street every day between 9.30am and 5pm, allowing only buses, taxis and bicycles to pass through.
Cllr Watts’ suggestion comes in response to a story last month in the Melksham News, when local resident Brian Warwick raised his concerns about traffic pollution in the Market Place, calling for clean air solutions around the town, including the planting of hedges and trees in large moveable planters. But cllr Watts wants to take the issue one step further.
“I welcome the article ‘Concern over pollution calls for more trees’ in issue 718 of Melksham News regarding hedge/tree planting in the town as proposed by Brian Warwick,” said cllr Watts.
“Air quality in our towns and cities is a major health issue, and we should all be concerned about vehicle pollution. Traffic entering Melksham town centre from Spa Road/ Bank Street/Lowbourne is often queuing and tailing-back for some distance, producing noxious emissions and pumping CO2 into the atmosphere.
“But whilst trees and shrubs/hedges can help combat Co2, such planting will do little to reduce nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, diesel particulates and other pollutants emitted from cars and trucks.
“The solution to this pollution is to reduce the volume of traffic coming through the central part of Melksham. This has been achieved successfully in Chippenham, where their High Street is closed during the day. Perhaps the same type of arrangement would work in Melksham, closing our High Street between Lowbourne and Church Street from, say, 9.30am to 5pm (but allowing buses, taxis and bikes)? This would create a far more pedestrian-friendly and less polluted town centre.
“Of course this needs to be thought through very carefully, for example maintaining access to businesses including those in Strattons Walk/Poulsom’s Yard.
“I should also say that I fully support the planting of more trees and evergreen shrubs in the town, but my view is that these should go where they would naturally go – in the ground – rather than in planters!
“Of course, the recent UN report has highlighted the accelerating onslaught of global warming and the need to quickly reduce the use of fossil fuels, whilst substantially increasing tree planting. Melksham needs to do its part; individuals, voluntary organisations and councils need to come together to implement imaginative solutions.”
Cllr Watts is seeking the opinion of the Melksham community on the matter and has created an online survey. To share your thoughts, visit: https://tinyurl.com/yadgmmnh or scan the QR code below with your smartphone to access the survey.
