FOLLOWING local concerns over congestion in Chagford, and extensive consultation, Devon County Council will be carrying out works in the town later this month to improve parking arrangements. Work is due to start on November 14 to relocate an existing traffic island in the Square to allow large vehicles to negotiate parking more easily. Part of the carriageway around the Square will be resurfaced at the same time. Existing advisory signs and road markings will be replaced with new mandatory signs and markings throughout the town informing motorists where they are permitted to park and for how long. There will be no yellow lines laid in the town and parking and loading/unloading outside the marked bays will be prohibited and enforced by the police. While the work is scheduled to take around two weeks some is weather dependant and there may be short delays due to rain. The contractor, South West Highways, asks residents and businesses for their co-operation during the time to ensure working areas are kept clear of parked vehicles. Devon County Council apologises for any inconvenience and thanks the public for their assistance. The cost of the scheme is £23,000. Local county councillor James McInnes welcomes the scheme. He said: ?This new mandatory arrangement should ensure that emergency vehicles and through traffic are not obstructed, which has been a long-standing concern within the town. ?I want to thank the community for their input to the two public exhibitions which was really useful and helped determine the final arrangements.?
