Enforce traffic ban in centre of town

Spalding’s fire crews are among those allegedly breaching traffic regulations and driving through Spalding Town Centre, a meeting has been told.

Members of Spalding Town Forum heard last week that CCTV could not be used to prosecute drivers flouting the ban on driving through Market Place and Hall Place between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Saturday.

Lincolnshire Police are meant to enforce the traffic restriction order (TRO) but officers had told a previous meeting of the forum they don’t have the resources to police it effectively and called for a barrier to be installed.

Coun Christine Lawton branded that “too expensive” at last week’s meeting as the forum discussed the issue once again.

And the county council will be asked to attend a future meeting to explain why it can’t enforce the ban with officers who enforce TROs in other parts of the town centre.

Forum chair Coun Roger Gambba-Jones said: “We’re attempting to improve the town centre and in the middle we’ve this chaos.

“The very worst thing to happen is to get someone to visit our town for the very first time and they get mown down by one of the lunatics driving thought the middle of it.

“We need to get someone involved and either scrap the TRO or do it properly.”

Coun Gambba-Jones said he had looked into using the current CCTV systems but regulations meant it wasn’t possible.

“I couldn’t understand why our CCTV camera system, which is a very expensive piece of kit, only seems to be of much use to the police, not that I begrudge them that.

“Those limitations are enshrined in the regulations. Obviously the police have a different set of rules that enable them to use number plate recognition.

“Again we’re stymied by trying to capture those people driving in.

“We come back to the question of wondering why LCC can’t use its civil parking enforcement officers to extend their realm into Market Place and Hall Place,

“Citizens may well believe they are safe in town centre to wander in what they believe is a pedestrian only area, to find a motorist mows them or one of their children down because they believe they have the right to drive down there at 30mph.”

A spokesman for Lincolnshire County Council: “We would of course be happy to meet and discuss the issues. Councillors can set-up and request such meetings with the highways department directly.

“Regarding moving traffic contraventions, Lincolnshire County Council do not have the powers to enforce these. This power currently resides with the police.”

The Voice also asked the county council about the potential use of bollards.

“Bollards indeed, are not cheap but they are not out of the question,” the spokesman said. “Electric ones tend to be notoriously unreliable and because of this are largely unsuitable because a single failure could hinder the access of emergency vehicles to a large part of the town centre.”  

One of the exemptions to the traffic order is emergency services, but it was claimed those driving fire engines were flouting the rules to get refreshments.

Coun Robert Gibson said: “There’s been so many near misses.

“One of the worst offenders is the fire brigade driving down three times a day to go to Costa.”

“I don’t believe it specifies in the TRO visiting coffee shops or Greggs.”

Coun Gambba-Jones added: “I suggest they should review carefully their infringement of the order in the future.

“It’s setting a very bad example for them and everybody else to see vehicles, which are funded though Lincolnshire County Council and the highways authority, to be breaking that TRO on such a regular basis.

“Please reconsider what you’re doing and lead by example.”