Bibury villagers 'have been conned' (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Bibury villagers 'have been conned'

RESIDENTS in Bibury have been bombarding the Standard with complaints about the village's new traffic calming features.

Gloucestershire County Council chose the picturesque Cotswold village for a 'no traffic signs' trial in January.

The safety experiment is designed to slow traffic down and improve the village aesthetic by doing away with unnecessary signage.

And for the last few weeks the highways authority has been removing metal signs and replacing them with wooden posts and "bunker-like" features.

But it seems the finished look is far from what residents expected, and there is a groundswell of opinion the work should be reversed.

Clare Carter, 58, who has lived in Bibury all her life, said: "The council has spoilt one of the most beautiful villages in the country.

"I just can't think how they got permission to do this, and I'm not alone. If we wanted to live in suburbia we would move there - we feel utterly conned.

"The whole point of the posts is that it is meant to calm the traffic and all it is doing is increase the aggravation of the motorists.

"There are between 700 and 800 people in Bibury and I have so far heard of only four who approve of the posts - and they are all on the parish council."

Her feelings were echoed by John Grafton, who has lived in Bibury for 35 years.

The 76-year-old said: "I think it's an appalling waste of money which doesn't do anything.

"The oak posts are everywhere and they have reduced the amount of parking spaces along the river front.

"There has probably been a slight reduction in the number of signs, with some altered from metal to wood, which is a good thing, but the bunkers would be more suited to an urbanised town, not an area of outstanding natural beauty."

However, Bibury Parish Council has urged residents to reserve judgement until GCC publishes a report on the traffic experiment.

Chairman Ann Haigh said: "People don't like change much and there have been reactions from some who don't like certain aspects of the work.

"But we should wait until the end of the trial and for the figures to see if it has done what it was intended to do.

"Once we know everything and how the final scheme looks, we should look at the problem areas - if there are any."

Alex Luck, of the highways department, was instrumental in pushing forward the traffic initiative.

She said: "The complaints I have received all seem to come from residents who failed to attend the consultation meetings. However, there will be a chance for people to express their views in due course.

"But if there are no significant safety risks it's unlikely it will be changed."