Town not fit for active travel plan, say residents

Many residents are unhappy with a project that would encourage more people to walk and cycle in Woodbridge

A £5m project aiming to encourage sustainable transport methods is not suitable for a market town, residents have claimed.

Suffolk County Council was awarded funding from the government's Active Travel England scheme in 2022 to look at ways of making walking and cycling journeys easier in Woodbridge.

Changes proposed include widening of some pavements and creating a one-way system for traffic toward Market Hill

A recent public consultation saw 433 responses as the council now looks to review the plans over the next year but some residents said the consultations were handled "poorly".

Chris Mapey runs the Angel pub, just off Market Hill and said while on the face of it the project was a "cracking idea", he was believed it was for the wrong town.

"The problem we've got with any small market town is it's a fine balancing act - we want to try and preserve the town as much as we can but we also want to have decent levels of footfall," he said.

"If you make Woodbridge too closed off, we're right on the doorstep of Martlesham [Retail Park]... so you end up losing, conceivably, a lot of footfall.

"It's been very frustrating for business owners to know where to turn."

The council is reviewing plans to improve Station Road crossing as well as widen pavements on nearby Quay Street

Woodbridge resident Neil Armstrong Boast similarly felt the council's consultation was "poor".

"They hid road closures by the use of buzzwords and people lost faith when at the public meeting held in the community hall, the councillors wouldn't state what their preference was," he added.

Many residents have spoken in favour of road and pavement improvements but some feared the project would negatively affect those who rely on cars and buses.

"Wider pavements are a lovely idea but at what cost to free and efficient movement around the town for the less mobile," fellow resident Alison Parish said.

"I envisage that this will create more traffic hold-ups, longer journeys - time wise and distance - and people will avoid going into the town to shop and socialise."

Ruth Leach thanked residents for their patience

Ruth Leach, Lib Dem county councillor for Woodbridge, said she initially believed the project would be difficult to implement but felt progress had been made.

"The project has changed shape from what was initially proposed but I am very confident that we are getting closer to something that is going to perfect for Woodbridge," she said.

"With a budget of £5m I am very keen to work tirelessly on it to make sure it is something that stays in Woodbridge and we can benefit from it."

She stressed the project did not seek to remove cars from Woodbridge.

The council is looking at improvements to Seckford Street as well as creating a one-way traffic flow for traffic toward Market Hill

A spokesperson for the county council said the project aimed to give people better choice in how they travel for local, shorter journeys and the level of response for the consultation process had been "higher than expected".

They said people had been provided options to fill either an online or paper survey and there had been drop-in events during both weekdays and weekends to "maximise people's ability to attend", while local businesses and key stakeholders had been engaged with to "ensure that all voices" were heard.