PROPOSALS to close a well-known West Devon short cut to through traffic were greeted with dismay at a meeting in Tavistock last week.
The borough?s highways and traffic orders committee heard the proposal would prohibit drivers from the unclassified one-way road between New Bridge in Gunnislake and the main A390 near Gulworthy Cottages, except for access.
Brian George, local service officer, said: ?At the top end we have an accident history which was picked up through our annual review of accident cluster sites, which puts the responsibility on us to see if there is anything we can do to reduce this.?
Traffic engineer Paul Marshall said: ?We are duty-bound to carry out a proper consultation and put forward proposals to tackle the accident situation. This is just one of a number of schemes going through this process ? it?s the county?s attempt to acknowledge national government targets on improved road safety. We can?t turn our back on the situation.?
But Cllr Roger Mathew objected strongly to the proposal. He said most accidents that occurred at the junction were non-serious, ?shunt? type ones.
?That I would have said ought not to justify the draconian measure of closing a road, which would cause huge resentment,? he said.
?I can?t see any very good reason for a normal, competent driver not to be able to negotiate that junction safely. The visibility back to the next bend is more than adequate.?
Cllr Mathew said the road was a valuable short cut used by local drivers which cut the journey up a long hill considerably, saving journey times, particularly during the summer.
?Frankly I think we should knock this idea on the head now,? he said.
Cllr Dennis Bater agreed with Cllr Mathew. He said getting stuck behind traffic caused frustration and led to even more accidents.
Tavistock?s county councillor Roy Connelly said: ?I have a lot of sympathy with what Cllr Mathew says, but we are only going out for consultation. I think we have to have the views of many more people ? the uniqueness of this road needs wider consultation, it impacts on Tavistock and other places.?
He said he knew the proposal would be ?contentious? and it was vital to find out residents? views.
?We do need people to come forward,? he said.
And Cllr Bill Cann, vice-chairman of the committee, said public consultation on the proposal would be very valuable.
?There is nothing wrong with having a look at it. Some things may come up and the road won?t close,? he said.
The proposals are due to be advertised shortly. There will be a consultation period of 21 days in which residents can make their observations about the scheme.