DEVON County Council has been accused of abandoning the Bedford Square monitoring group by failing to provide money and support to review Tavistock's traffic management.

Cllr Pat Warne told members of West Devon Council's strategic development committee last week that the group was 'not very happy' and she challenged the county to 'honour its past commitment to monitor the situation'.

The county's partnership committee was opposed to the monitoring group seeking a small sum of money to look at a simple form of study, said Mrs Warne.

'There is still great concern over the square and there is no support from the partnership committee.

'There is no such thing as a free study, so we suggested planners carry out a traffic study to record activities in the square on TV but this was not taken up.'

She said the county appeared to be totally opposed to monitoring.

'We are not negative. There should be two lanes of traffic through the square and pavements put in the right place. These are simple measures as this is by no means a dead issue.'

And Cllr David Stapleton said: 'The monitoring group should be looking at traffic analysis and the severe traffic management problems facing Tavistock.

Cllr Roger Mathew said Tavistock had been told and assured that the effects of the enhancement scheme on Bedford Square would be reviewed.

'I expressed scepticism at the time and thought it was very likely the county council would forget monitoring — and that is exactly what is happening,' he said.

'There is no support or funding or interest from the county council's highways department. I look to this committee to put pressure on the county council.

'We ought to take the council to task,'

Members agreed with Cllr Nicholas Waterhouse who suggested asking the county council to carry out an urgent review of traffic management and pedestrian safety in Bedford Square and the rest of Tavistock.

'Enforcement is a particular problem. A lorry dumped in the middle of Duke Street for three or four minutes whilst it makes a delivery and 30 vehicles then backed up behind it, is the sort of problem we should be looking at,' he said.

A Devon County Council spokesperson told the Times the county had been playing an active part on the monitoring group, but the objectives of the exercise needed to be made very clear.

'Is it about increasing traffic or is it about the impact of the changes on the local economy?,' said the spokesperson.

'Already, a West Devon Borough Council survey has suggested that the town's economy is standing up well. A recent approach to Tavistock College will mean a new survey to give us a better understanding of the reasons for traffic and travel in the area.'