Woodbridge Town Council response to Suffolk County Council ATW Phase 2 consultation report

Woodbridge Town Council published in January it's response to the phase 1 and 2 consultations undertaken by Suffolk County Council in regard of the Active Travel Woodbridge proposals - that document can be found here. 

Subsequently, Suffolk County Council have published their report and proposals following the phase 2 consultations - https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/asset-library/ATW-Report-TC-Final-V3.pd

Woodbridge Town Council resolved to issue the following press release subject to the content of the Suffolk County Council report at the Council's meeting on May 7th:

Press release

Woodbridge Town Council (WTC) does not support Suffolk County Council’s response to the phase two consultation on the Town Centre proposals for the Active Travel project for Woodbridge.

Whilst WTC support the proposed improvements to the pavements in Church Street and Quay Street and the latter’s junction with Station Road and Quayside, Suffolk County Council’s overall proposals will result in routing traffic, including all commercial light and heavy goods vehicles, from the Thoroughfare and the top end of Cumberland Street, up Church Street to the Market Hill area. This will be in addition to the existing traffic travelling northbound on Quay Street towards Market Hill.

• WTC’s view is that this routing undermines a core objective of this project which is to make the centre of historic Woodbridge more attractive and inclusive for walking, wheeling and cycling. 
• Commercial traffic arriving at Market Hill will have to leave by one of four effectively single laned, narrow streets – Seckford Street, Theatre Street, Chapel Street or New Street, resulting in congestion and additional risk to pedestrians, wheelers and cyclists. 
• This volume of traffic will be displaced onto Market Hill directly into a growing pedestrian area, heavily utilised by the pupils from the three surrounding schools.
• Local businesses such as the Bull Hotel, Strawberry Cafe, Kings Head Pub, Essen and the ice cream parlour with their outside seating areas on Market Square will be impacted by increased noise and exhaust fumes, especially from heavy goods vehicles queueing to exit the Market Hill area.

It is the view of WTC that the residents of the town will not benefit from a solution that exacerbates current issues rather than improving access for pedestrians and wheelers. 

WTC requests that Suffolk County Council revisit its proposals to address the core objective in a more holistic and sustainable way.  Specifically, it should re-explore reversing either the direction of traffic flow on the Thoroughfare or the proposed direction on Quay Street to make it southbound. For either of these other options to be workable, additional measures will be needed in surrounding streets. 

11.06.25