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Published:
September 23, 2008
Plans unveiled for Burnham-On-Sea seafront traffic calming scheme
 Plans
to introduce a £29,000 traffic calming scheme to combat
'boy racers' and anti-social driving along Burnham-On-Sea's Esplanade
were unveiled for the first time on Monday (September 22nd).
Engineer
Alan Lovell, pictured, was asked by the town council to draw up
a scheme to convert the South Esplanade into a 'shoreline leisure
drive'.
Under
the proposals, which were presented to councillors on Monday evening,
a 'stopping up order' would be introduced to change the Esplanade
from a public highway into a private drive.
A
turning point would be introduced south of Margaret Crescent,
and three 'speed bumps' would be added to the roadway near Margaret
Crescent, Quantock Court and Burnham Holiday Village. Along with
new road markings, there would also be narrower driving lanes
to further slow traffic.
"Physical
constraints on the public highway are the most likely way to curtail
the anti-social driving problems experienced by residents and
visitors," said Mr Lovell, who carried out the work for the
town council without charge.
 The
council has set up a small sub-committee, comprising of Cllr Neville
Jones, Cllr Eric Gill and Burnham police officer PC Pete Wills
(pictured right), to discuss the plans in more depth.
PC
Wills told Monday's meeting: "There is a big problem along
the South Esplanade that can be quite horrendous for some residents,
whose windows shake every time speeding cars speed past."
It
comes just days after Burnham-On-Sea.com reported
how Cllr Neville Jones had gained the majority support of members
of Sedgemoor District Council for a new 'leisure drive' to be
created along the Esplanade to try and combat the problems of
anti-social driving.
Burnham-On-Sea.com
reported last
month that Somerset County Council's Head of Highways, Ioan
Rees, had stated "traffic calming of the South Esplanade
would have a very low priority for funding from Highways budgets"
and added that that the low number of accidents along the seafront
means there is no argument for changes.
Seafront
residents claim, however, that the situation is so bad that an
accident is waiting to happen. Ian
Halsley described the problem of noisy motorists as "a living
hell".
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