‘Anti-driver’ plans for coastal town should be dropped, says Suffolk MP
Thérèse Coffey has objected to the county council’s active travel proposals for Woodbridge
‘Anti-driver’ plans for a coastal town should be dropped by the council, a Suffolk MP has said.
Thérèse Coffey, MP for Suffolk Coastal, has objected to the county council’s active travel proposals for Woodbridge.
The public consultation, which ran until last Tuesday, sought residents’ views on proposals such as footpath improvements, shared-use paths, modal filters, and a 20mph zone.
But Ms Coffey said although most residents she spoke to welcomed the encouragement of cycling and walking, they were worried the plans were detached from reality.
She added: “Active Travel should support those who want to walk and cycle more readily but should not be anti-driver.
“Pretty much every proposal fails to deliver and antagonises rather than encourages.”
Ms Coffey called for the proposals to be ditched and started again, adding the consultation and survey process had not been up to standard.
She continued: “The survey to gather feedback is woefully bad. It does not set out clearly the different options being considered. I expect it would be deemed unlawful if taken to court.
“I would consider this consultation to be so bad that it needs to be done again, allowing people to comment far more readily on the proposals being made, including being able to keep a copy of the comments provided.”
If approved by the county council, the proposals would be paid for through Active Travel England funding amounting to just over £5 million.
But Ms Coffey suggested the money should be used to provide key crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists, improve pavements and road surfaces to avoid injuries, and provide cycling proficiency courses at primary and secondary schools.