This week I met with the Pidley Lorry Group to discuss the ongoing issue of HGVs using Pidley as a rat-run.
Whilst I was there I saw first-hand how bad the traffic now is through what is a small village. There are parts of the village where the road is simply too narrow for two HGVs to pass without slowing to a stop and mounting the pavement to squeeze past. With narrow pavements, houses immediately adjacent to the road and even the entrance to a children’s playground the Group’s campaign is one I wholeheartedly support.
The Group are asking for a 7.5 tonne weight limit to be imposed that would then prevent HGV traffic from cutting through the village. This is a simple solution but the volume of paperwork and number of hurdles are making the issue more complex than it needs to be. The cost that will be incurred by the village, via the parish council, is also an issue.
I will be liaising with Pidley Lorry Group and supporting their application and wherever I can trying to ensure this is expedited quickly; the expectation is that at best it will take months.
Once again, this was an issue raised during my recent Parish Council roundtables and it illustrates the value of having that direct conduit between parishes and myself as the MP
With similar issues raised with me regarding Upwood and Alconbury I will be looking at all three to identify how the council can ease the process with villages bearing the brunt of an issue that should be much easier to resolve than it currently is.
