ORGANISERS of the 99th Okehampton Show are hoping for bumper crowds heading for the showground today (Thursday) ? but they also hope the event?s popularity does not result in more gridlock in the town.
Motorists in Okehampton have already endured several days of slow moving traffic through the centre of town. Mill Road in Okehampton has been closed off for road works since Monday, which appears to have resulted in a dramatic increase in the level of traffic through the centre of town.
Okehampton Town Council last week wrote to Devon County Council to complain that the road closure was operating during show day when hundreds of cars would be coming to the town.
The show at Stoney Park Showfield is one of the most popular one-day agricultural shows in Devon and Cornwall and draws many visitors.
Town clerk Don Bent told town councillors meeting on Monday that the local services officer for the county council had told him he was not completely convinced closing Mill Road was causing extra traffic. He was told it was peak holiday time when a lot of visitors were travelling to Okehampton anyway, although he acknowledged it may be a contributory factor.
The county council said contractors were working hard to get the job done on time and it was possible half the road may be able to open today (Thursday) to keep some traffic coming through the town
moving.
Mayor of Okehampton Cllr Tony Leech, speaking at the meeting of the policy and resources committee, said it was ?a load of rubbish? to say closing Mill Road was not a major factor in the increase in traffic.
He said: ?Everyone in this town and outside knows what the problem is.?.
Chairman of the committee Cllr Charles Letchford added: ?All I will say is, it seems quite a coincidence that when they close Mill Road, the traffic in the centre of the town increases.?
Mill Road will be closed for a few more days while highway drainage works are carried out at the entrance to the school.
The works need to be carried out during the school summer holidays, as massive disruption would have been caused if work had taken place while traffic was still coming and going from the school.
But town councillors have questioned why the work has to take place during show week.
Chairman of Okehampton Chamber of Trade Ian Bailey said a number of traders in the town had spoken to him about the impact of the temporary closure of the road.
He said: ?With the additional traffic coming through the centre of the town at what is historically a busy time for Okehampton with visitors, it does not show us in the best light.?
The latest traffic problems come just a month after Devon County Council said a relief road to ease congestion in the centre of Okehampton was not likely to be considered for at least another seven years.
Mr Bailey said the congestion in Okehampton remained a ?hot topic? among chamber members.
?We, as traders, have been pushing for this alternative link road to relieve some of the traffic in the town centre for some time.?
However, this proposal had been sidelined by Devon County Council which says it cannot justify the expenditure on a link road.
Mr Bailey added: ?They say we have not got a traffic problem, I would suggest if Highways came along and did their study now, they would see there is a problem.?