A local business owner has handed a petition to Cheshire East Council calling on them to rethink their proposals to change the current layout of the road system in the Knutsford Road area.
Graham Hurd, who has run the village store on Knutsford Road with his partner Kate for the past 14 years, collected 493 signatures from customers who use our store on a regular basis calling for the Council to abandon the proposals to install a Puffin signal controlled crossing which will involve removing the bus stop lay-by and making Church Road a one-way system.
Instead they are requesting that Cheshire East Council allocates any funding secured to introduce traffic calming measures, improved advanced warning signs and speed restrictions during the times when children are entering or leaving the school.
Graham explained "These customers are either residents local to the store and from the wider Wilmslow area (most of whom travel to the store by car) or business professionals or tradesmen who use the store whilst commuting to and from their workplace or work in the local area on a regular basis."
He believes that the scheme will have a detrimental effect on his business, taking away trade from commuters and local tradesmen who stop on Knutsford Road to nip into his store, which will no longer be convenient for them if they have to enter a one-way system on Church Road.
Graham said "We started the petition because we were concerned on a number of fronts.
"Firstly that the proposal would affect the future viability of our business, because it threatens to take away all of our passing trade, and also whilst the proposal is in the public domain it has put a blight on our business and would adversely affect our ability to sell the business and fulfil our retirement plans.
"Additionally, the increased traffic through the one-way system and the protracted exit route via Church Road, Links Road and Welton Drive by customers and supply vehicles for the store would be seen as a severe inconvenience to them because of our business.
"Cheshire East Council Highways have only informed a limited number of residents in Church Road and Knutsford Road of their proposal, when it is clear that the proposal would impact on a much wider residential area and on people who travel on Knutsford Road on a regular basis yet they had not posted any notices of the proposal in the local community.
"We also feel that the proposal is ill-conceived and does not address the real problem of speeding traffic on Knutsford Road. In fact it would increase the danger to the public by moving the crossing point nearer to a blind bend."
Wilmslow Town Council has also objected to the proposals from Cheshire East Highways for a new Puffin crossing on Knutsford Road and the introduction of a one-way system on Church Road. Members of the Planning Committee voted unanimously to reject the proposals because they felt they were not acceptable in their current form and require further consultation.
Councillor Rod Menlove said "'We welcome all responses to the draft proposals as essential feedback.
"This is the purpose of the informal consultation process that rightly gives local residents the opportunity to express their views on a draft proposal.
"We welcome the high level of responses from individual residents as well as the reported petition organised by the Village Stores."
Councillor Menlove continued "On Tuesday we will be meeting with Highways to get a better understanding of the top line figures and the weight of support for and opposition to the proposals. Once we have a more complete picture we will then have the basis for deciding whether to recommend the proposals are abandoned or to move to the Traffic Regulation stage. We will do this before the end of the month."
He added "None of this changes the situation that this is a busy road and that crossing it is not easy. It is because child safety is paramount that Lindow PTA and Management approached us and the proposals were developed and discussed and put to parents. If these proposals are not to go ahead then we would like to see local residents, local businesses and Lindow Primary together to come up with an agreed working alternative that we will give our full support."
The petiition has been handed to the Traffic Design Team and Graham has received an acknowledgement that it will be considered in the consultation process.
Graham said "We understand that the informal consultation period ended on 19th September and we want an early decision made public that the proposal has been withdrawn.
Additionally we would like Cheshire East Council to issue a statement saying that they will be addressing the issue of how traffic calming measures and improved advanced signage notices indicating the presence of Lindow Primary School.
"Then hopefully we can sell our business to someone who will refurbish the store and continue to provide local convenience store service to the local community so we can retire gracefully."
Comments
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We gave a little 'toot'. It didn't move. After a while a child emerged from the shop, climbed aboard the offending vehicle, which immediately went on its way.
I was going to add "unbelievable", but with so many selfish drivers like this around, it's not!
Now, back to the rejection of this ridiculous road change proposal - now it's been rightfully dumped, can we now have our bus shelter back, please? It's been absent most of this year. It still rains, and the 88 bus is still frequently late and often has to be waited for.
Have the school applied to CEC for a crossing patrol person?
If we are to have traffic calming, there are more imaginative and effective ways to do it.