IT’S been some time since councillors promised to look at the traffic issues in Wellington.

While they are deciding the best way forward, could I suggest trialling an idea that I think will not only help the traffic issues in town, but also help local businesses?

The car parks in town (North Street, Longforth Road and South Street) often have several spaces in them, meaning they are not being used to their full capacity.

Yet, if you drive along Longforth Road, it is filled with cars parked along the road despite many houses along that round benefitting from off-road parking.

I regularly drive along that road on the school run and believe many of those parking in Longforth Road, Victoria Street and Priory are people working in town.

These cars contribute to the delays along those roads due to cars, lorries and the recycling truck being unable to move freely and avoiding oncoming traffic. This has a knock on effect on cars at town centre junctions.


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I believe offering free parking in the town car parks and stopping people parking along these roads would help to alleviate traffic issues around town. It would also stop people driving round town waiting for one of the free 30-minute spaces along South Street or East Street.

By offering free parking, I feel people would come into the town who have been put off by the traffic over the past year or two, which will benefit local businesses and could even encourage businesses to look at ‘setting up shop’ in Wellington in future.

Another, more complicated solution is to put a box junction in town to stop drivers jumping the lights at the main crossroads, adding to the snarl ups during morning and evening rush hours.

Making North Street one way from the fire station heading into town would also help and stop lorries turning into North Street heading along the road to Swallowfield or Milverton. 

I imagine this solution can’t be put in place until the relief road is built through Longforth Farm though.

I realise money is generated for the council through charging for parking in Wellington, but feel the benefits gained throughout the rest of the town are far greater.

Trialling this solution for a few months and monitoring the situation closely would enable a longer term plan to be made (potentially looking at a local levy for drivers to allow free parking all year or permit parking for those working in town etc).

I have shared this idea in a letter to Cllr John Thorne and welcome everyone else to share their ideas too.

MARIE TROAKE
Wellington