Ware Online Community Forum

Wot! No active topics - lets make one.

A Happy New Year to all residents in our lovely town, one of the best places to live in the UK. Lets just stop this insane new proposal for 1500 new houses, we just can't cope with it. Is there any way we can persuade some of the drivers of the unending traffic in the High Street to use the A10 by pass instead and make our lives even better.

I wish we could pedestrianise our high street like Stansted Abbots.

Matt40 wrote:I wish we could pedestrianise our high street like Stansted Abbots.

That's a bit of ironic sarcasm, right? They may have changed the surface, but the traffic is exactly the same.

I agree with Matt 40 actually. A pedestrianised High Street would be :

- rearranged to slow cars down and create a mingled pedestrian and cars space in the Dutch model
- remove the ridiculous crossing lights - which work 2 minutes after you've left them
- probably reduce traffic through the High Street over time

Do cars drive too fast through the high street now? IMHO, that seems unlikely since they're not moving due to the traffic.

Yes, the crossing lights are awkward. perhaps there should be pedestrian bridges instead!

For half the town the only route to the station, Tescos and parking for the shops is via the high street. Just blocking up the high street or reducing traffic flow in the high street won't change that. Making the High st awkward for vehicles won't reduce car use. It will just shift it onto even less suitable roads.

On yer bike! If more people used bicycles for short distance utility trips, ... we'd have a different problem.

More seriously, It does feel like the pedestrian crossings may be in the wrong places. Would moving the one nearest the roundabout to the other side of the New Rd entrance change things?

Scottman wrote:I agree with Matt 40 actually. A pedestrianised High Street would be :

- rearranged to slow cars down and create a mingled pedestrian and cars space in the Dutch model
- remove the ridiculous crossing lights - which work 2 minutes after you've left them
- probably reduce traffic through the High Street over time

Yes this is what I had in mind. It'd get rid of the crossings and it'll slow the traffic down but there'll be a constant flow rather than the current stop/start. When I cycle through stansted abbots I also think the drivers become a bit more patient as the 'power' shifts to the cyclists/pedestrians more. I think it's a viable option. I don't think bridges would work at all as people dart across the road when there's a crossing only 20m away from them! What chance have we got of people climbing stairs on a bridge, very little I reckon.

The pedestrian crossing lights frustrated me as a driver when pedestrians pressed the button then look and find they have time to cross so vehicles sit waiting for a red light to change and nobody crossing, children also enjoy pressing the buttons as they pass them too.
But!
From the other side as a pedestrian I have seen a few cars zoom through on a red light so its a problem from both sides.

I used to live in Kettering before moving to Ware and the council changed the traffic layout in the town and it was horrendous so a local school teacher had his class carry out a traffic survey and redesign the traffic system and it was so good the council used it.

Any local teachers reading this?