Labour council sees new traffic rules ‘blatantly’ ignored by drivers days after going live
Drivers have been caught deliberately ignoring new traffic rules across a Labour-run city just days after the restrictions came into effect.
Southampton City Council launched its Active Travel Zones which imposes restrictions on vehicles in a bid to incentivise people to use public transport and active travel.
The restrictions, which began on January 27, saw a section of the high street on Portswood Road ban vehicles Monday to Saturday at peak times, between 7am and 10am as well as between 4pm and 7pm in the evening.
The only exception to the rules includes buses, taxis and bicycles with the council determined to keep the trial in place for at least six months.
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But despite trying to deter vehicles from using the new bus gate between Westridge Road and St Denys during peak times, drivers have been seen flouting the £3million rules.
This is due to the restrictions in place not having strong enough deterrents as the council stated it would not fine drivers during the initial period, opening the floodgate for many to simply ignore the rules altogether.
Councillor Eamonn Keogh said: “We appreciate that this trial represents a significant change for the local community, and we will be monitoring its effectiveness throughout.
“The project is expected to deliver significant benefits, including shorter journey times for buses, safer roads for people walking, wheeling and cycling and improvements to air quality and the overall environment for people who live, work or shop on Portswood Road.”
In addition to buses, taxis and cycles, legal e-scooters, emergency vehicles, and statutory service vehicles such as gritters are allowed to use the restricted section of Portswood Road.
Andrew Wickham, Managing Director of Bluestar and Unilink, added that the restrictions hope to “deter inconsiderate parking” of cars at key bus stops.
“Our team is expecting these changes to have a positive impact on our services and will be working closely with the council throughout the trial, providing feedback on levels of traffic and journey times,” he added.
But the scheme has already been hit with mixed views from drivers with one person sharing that it is an “absolutely ridiculous” plan that “blatantly won’t work”.
They shared: “What is the benefit to anyone? I’m pro public transport and cycling etc but this just doesn’t make sense. All you’re doing is moving the traffic to other areas. No one is going to give up their car if they have to get two or three buses and spend an hour travelling.”
Another person said that this has to be the council’s “most ridiculous idea yet” while another person stated that the bus gate should be in operation all the time.
“There were multiple consultations and people mostly approved of the original idea, but it got watered down because the people who didn’t approve were very loud and angry (many thought that the road was being closed, which isn’t even correct),” they added.
But someone else said the bus gate was a good idea and could help in the reduction of traffic to help make the road safer.
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Meanwhile, another person shared: “I am keen to see how it all works in practice as people get used to it. In principle I think it’s a good idea to try and encourage fewer cars on the road – but this scheme feels a little half baked.”
Notably someone else called for a full 24/7 ban on cars which would have been a “better idea and reduced confusion and inconsistency”.