Snags rule out one-way plans

A one-way system will not be implemented in Bingham because there would be too many disadvantages to it, according to a senior highways officer.

Mr Paul Hillier, Nottinghamshire County Council’s local transport planning officer, visited Bingham on Friday to explain how the town’s traffic system could be improved.

He said in 2003 Bingham Town Council asked the county council to investigate putting a one-way system around the Market Place.

But research found seven disadvantages to introducing the scheme including higher vehicle speeds because of a lack of oncoming traffic, difficulties with traffic flow at junctions and the increasing response times for emergency vehicles.

Mr Hillier said: “It’s got nothing to do with whether we wanted to spend money. It’s just whether it’s the right thing to do and whether it would actually help. But because nothing has happened, people think there is some kind of weird conspiracy going on.”

He said there were four advantages to having a one-way system, but these were far outweighed by the disadvantages.

In 2005 the town council put forward an idea to make only Market Street one-way.

Mr Hillier said: “It was a cracking idea, I did genuinely love this idea.”

He said that by making Market Street one-way, loading and disabled bays could be put in to help the flow of traffic and the pavement be widened.

But, when congestion surveys were carried out, they found several problems including an impact on Fairfield Street, Long Acre, Church Street and Cherry Street, which motorists would use to avoid the one-way street.

Mr Hillier said Bingham was the only place where a major improvement plan could not be drawn up.

He said: “In other places, we have been able to find a project that we felt would enhance the town. We have always been able to come up with something that was an asset to the town.

“Bingham is the only place where I haven’t been able to come up with a project.

“We have done things but not come up with one major plan.”

He said that it was very difficult because of Bingham’s old, narrow roads with a Market Place that not only had shops but also residential areas coming off it.

“Everything we have tried, the layout is completely against us, but I still hope that we will be able to do something good in Bingham,” said Mr Hillier.

He asked for people to contact him if they had firm ideas as to how the problems could be solved.

The county council has made some minor improvements to Bingham’s town centre.

Work has been carried out on the pavements, new technology was installed in the White Lion traffic lights and a plateaux in the Market Place has been built to slow down traffic.

Mr Hillier also said the council has tried to entice people to walk and cycle into the centre of Bingham to reduce traffic by installing a national cycle network through the town and painting a pedestrianised path through the Newgate Street carpark.

A £320,000 scheme to widen Tythby Road bridge, using money from the Mill Hill estate developers, is planned.

The county council is also working to improve the access to Robert Miles Junior School.

Mr Hillier said: “We are trying very, very hard to come up with a solution. There are things that we could possibly do but it’s difficult because it’s not our road.”

The council has ideas to help the issue, but is still attempting to contact the owners of the Manor House building, who own the road, before action is taken.