A LONG-AWAITED and much needed traffic management scheme is to be installed in the conservation village of West Coker - thanks to a partnership approach adopted by Somerset County Council and the local parish council.

For some time local traders and the parish council have been calling on the county council to tackle the increasing volume of traffic and especially the growth of heavy vehicles travelling through the village.

As a result the county council entered into a series of meetings involving local groups, residents and the parish council in developing proposals to deal with the problem.

The result is a new traffic scheme which is due to start early in February.

Local county councillor, Cllr Cathy Bakewell, said that the improvements had been a priority for local people for some time.

"It was important that once the County had decided that we could act to try and solve these problems that we involved local people and I am delighted that we have received so much support from the parish council and local residents," she said.

"In addition to physical engineering measures we will be reducing the speed limit in the centre of the village to 20 mph to improve the village environment and make it safer for all users, especially pedestrians, children and other people."

The vice chairman of the West Coker Parish Council and the proprietor of the West Coker Garage, Cllr David Neal, welcomed the news.

"We have been asking the county council for this for around 15 years and we have finally got these improvements," he said.

"This is the result of a lot of hard work by the parish council, the West Coker Road Safety Group and a great deal of co-operation from the county council.

"The A30 through the village is a very busy road, but over the years the freight vehicles have got bigger and bigger and the road simply can't cope with them. There is also the issue of safety with the school being on the main road."

The new improvements will consist of 800 metres of new carriageway surfacing, 180 metres of new footways and a series of traffic calming measures including priority build-outs, carriageway narrowings and 'rumble' devices. The work is expected to take nine weeks and should be completed by early April.

Project engineer David Greenhalgh said that most of the work will be undertaken under temporary traffic lights and whilst working hours will be restricted to minimise the impact on the road network at peak hours, a certain level of disruption was 'inevitable.'

"A number of daytime road closures will also be required for some of the work to be completed safely and it is likely that these will be towards the end of the scheme," he said.