Church Road Traffic and School Travel Plans

A successful public meeting was held in March to discuss the progress of the working
group on Church Road traffic involving the Parish Council, Wiltshire Council and local
schools. The meeting was also an opportunity for the group to listen to public feedback
about the issues which most concerned them, to provide a forum to share other ideas
which could be considered and to ensure that the working group was informed by local
opinion.
The themes which emerged from these discussions were:
• The importance of promoting walking and cycling, including making pupils feel safer
on the path from Laverstock to Bishopdown and improving cycle routes.
• The impact of parking around the schools on local residents and children, leading to
pollution, dangerous driving and poor flow of traffic.
• The fact that many of the existing road markings are not legally enforceable, and
the possibility of extending parking restrictions to a wider area.
• The possibility of creating a lay-by in front of the schools.
• The pollution caused by people leaving their engines idling while waiting to pick up
children
The number of local residents who attended the meeting or wrote to councillors shows the
impact traffic problems are causing for local residents. There will not be a single solution to
the issue, but hopefully by working together the group can come up with several measures
which will all help. The discussion showed that measures which would help the problem,
such as extending parking restrictions, would also affect local residents and the
appearance of the village.
The working group will be meeting again to discuss the next steps to be taken, given the
feedback that has been received, and formulate a longer term action plan. The schools
are working on developing their travel plans, which will allow them to bid for funds for
infrastructure projects to improve school travel.
The full report presented to the Parish Council on 15th March is available to read at:
http://laverstock-ford.co.uk/files/Report-21.036-Church-Road-Traffic.pdf.