FURTHER traffic controls to try and reduce pollution levels in Lowesmoor are set to begin this weekend.
Motorists are being reminded entry at the Trinity Gate junction which connects Lowesmoor, City Walls Road, Sansome Street and St Nicholas Street, will again enforce the long-standing and already-signposted Traffic Regulation Orders from Sunday (January 11).
The current order limits access to emergency services, cyclists and buses throughout the day westbound into the city, from Lowesmoor to St Nicholas Street, and between 3.30pm and 6.30pm eastbound, Sansome Street to Lowesmoor.
Despite being signposted for more than a decade, Worcestershire County Council have said motorists are still ignoring the orders and have caused a rise in pollution levels in the area as a consequence.
The new system will allow access for vehicles fitted with transponders which will communicate with the signal controls to trigger a green light. Specialist cycle detectors will also work in the same way.
General traffic, including taxis and motorcycles, will be prohibited access during the Traffic Regulation Order operating hours.
Coun John Smith OBE, county councillor cabinet member for highways, said: “Traffic regulation orders have been in place here for more than a decade but despite clear signage and improvements to surfacing, some motorists continue to ignore these orders, which has resulted in continued deterioration of local air quality.
“The order applies all day at the junctions of Lowesmoor and St Nicholas Street into the city and from 3.30pm to 6.30pm eastbound at the junction of Sansome Street. Both are controlled by traffic signals.
“We appreciate these measures will cause inconvenience to users of Lowesmoor. As such, consideration of enforcement has been very much a last choice for the county council.
“However, as pollution levels have continued to decline, we are now legally forced to act.”
