Suffolk council gets tough on HGVs with new traffic regulations

HGVs will be banned from entering the centre of a Suffolk town under proposals being worked on by the county council.

Suffolk County Council (SCC) said it wanted to introduce an experimental traffic regulation order that stopped lorries from entering Eye town centre because there had been reports of vehicles striking buildings and mounting pavements to negotiate their way through the town.

It only wants to give access to lorries that are servicing shops and businesses in Eye and agricultural vehicles would be exempt from the restrictions.

A public consultation into the plans is now underway and will last for an initial six months, with the possibility of a further six months depending on the feedback and traffic data.

“Councillor Richard Smith at SCC said: “We are keen to hear the views of the public to help us develop this scheme.

“It seeks to tackle the problem of lorries striking buildings and mounting pavements to negotiate the narrow streets of Eye, an issue which affects quality of life for the public and is also a problem for the lorries.

“Lorries serve an important function and we rely on the goods they bring, but we can divert from the town centre those that don’t need to be there.”