A46: weight limit rejected by County

Last week I had great pleasure in talking to a class at Whiteshill Primary School re the A46 - they were interviewing various local people in a project looking at the impact of the road closure - see my blog from last week - anyhow they also sent the beautiful card pictured to thank me.

Photos; card from Whiteshill School

Just after my meeting news came through that calls by our local Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish and three other Parishes (Painswick, Pitchcombe, and Stroud Town) for a weight limit on the A46 had been rejected. The Parishes said the road's unstable foundations cannot cope with heavy vehicles during storms and believe a reduced weight limit would help avoid future closures - making an exception of access-only and emergency vehicles.

However Gloucestershire County Council doesn't agree. I think they are wrong - not just because of the damage to roads. kerbs and more - at times these lorries are scary and certainly discourage cycling and walking - there is no reason why these huge lorries cannot be diverted around onto motorways and other major roads.

Stroud mayor John Marjoram is quoted in the SNJ saying: "These lorry routes need to be reviewed where they disrupt small communities, damage road foundations and interfere with local traffic."

The A46 is still due to re-open on February 15.