Gareth Wilson

Liberal Democrat Campaigner for Haddenham & Aldreth Learn more

Good News on Lorries

by Gareth Wilson on 23 November, 2009

Lorries on A1123 in Wilburton  Lorries in Hpo Row Haddenham 

Good News at long last after Pauline and I campaigned about the lorry traffic through Haddenham since the summer of 2002 and have been discussing the problem at every occasion since then. In particular all of our combined efforts at the cross boundary Parish Council HCV meetings has at last born fruit.

Following our extremely well attended Meeting with Robert Roweth in January 2007 we thought that some action was going to happen. But we were disappointed as Robert left the job of HCV officer with the County Council and more and more lorries continued to come through the local villages.

In October the County Council produced a draft “Cambridgeshire Advisory Freight Map”. This showed the “Strategic Routes” for lorries in the county and also showed “Local Routes”. The first draft showed the A1123 and the A1421 as strategic routes. Local campaigners and Our Parish Council immediately responded with objections. The accompanying documentation talked about keeping heavy traffic out of village centres and these two roads go right through Haddenham and the A1123 goes through Wicken, Stretham, Wilburton and Earith as well.

Well the officials at County Hall have at last listened and a new draft map was produced at a meeting of District and County Councillors last week. Both the A1123 and the A1421 have now been downgraded to “local routes”. We now need as many people as possible to contact the consultation and to express satisfaction with the downgrading of the A1123. This is particularly important as Haulage firms may well ask for the A1123 to be upgraded as a strategic route again.

Gravel lorry at the Crossroad

However we also need some enforcement of these routes. Any new planning consents that involve lorry transport should have these routes as a condition. (In particular the extension of the gravel extraction at Block Fen in Mepal.)

At the meeting I was able to point out that the A1421 should not be an A road at all, as it only goes from Haddenham to Witcham Toll and the Station Road end is very narrow and only has a footpath on one side. There is agreement that the road designations need to be re-examined, as this has not been done for many years and it was agreed that the downgrading of the A1421 to a B road would be looked at. Please encourage our officers to take this action as this should mean not only less traffic on this road but also less on the A1123.

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