A PROPOSAL to prevent vehicles driving and parking on the pavement at The Butts and improve pedestrian safety, has been backed by Frome Town Council.
It has been proposed that a single yellow line – which indicates no waiting or parking during specific times – be introduced on one side of The Butts, running from the roundabout at the junction with Rossiter’s Road up to the section of road outside number 43 The Butts. There are currently double yellow lines on the opposite side of the road that do not allow vehicles to wait or park.
It is hoped that the introduction of the single yellow line, which has been described as a “quick win” and “hopefully a quick fix”, will allow for traffic to flow through The Butts, eliminating any occurrences of vehicles mounting the pavement – a safety issue that has been raised by residents on a number of occasions and reported on in the Frome Times.
Behind the proposal to improve safety at The Butts is Frome Town councillor Scott Ward, county and district councillor John Clarke, and local residents – their work has received the backing of Somerset County Council’s highways team, who told them that they would move forward with the single yellow line proposal if it received the backing of Frome Town Council.
“County are all for this, pending a full consultation,” said cllr Ward at a recent ‘Town Matters’ meeting.
As town councillors voted in favour of the proposal, Somerset County Council’s highways team will conduct a full 21-day consultation on the single yellow line proposal in the new year.
However, cllr Ward warned that the single yellow line is not the “whole solution” to The Butts’ traffic problems. Cllr Ward explained that better flowing traffic through The Butts could result in an increase in speeding, and that ongoing monitoring of the area would be needed – a proposal that was backed by the town council.
The ongoing issue of large lorries, over 7.5 tonnes, unnecessarily using The Butts to move through the town, will also be tackled. Cllr John Clarke said that HGV limit signs will be moved to make them more visible, encouraging lorries to use alternative routes.
At the meeting, whilst supportive of the single yellow line proposal, cllr Paul Horton warned that “making driving easier will encourage more cars”, and that more work needs to be done in Frome to change the culture of reliance on cars.
