Plea to scrap one-way chaos (From Stroud News and Journal)

Plea to scrap one-way chaos

A PETITION has been started to re-open Stroud's London Road to two-way traffic. Summer Street resident Jenny Bailey told the SNJ she believes the current situation is strangling the town.

"It's the only town around here where you can get in but you can't get back out again in the same direction," she said.

"Historically it was always open to two-way traffic and I'm sure it's not beyond the abilities of the county council to come up with a plan to have it working again. "People from the Top of Town are screaming with frustration.

"I'm fed up with the anti-car lobby in Stroud. "We can't all ride pushbikes and we can't all walk. "Cars are a fact of life and people need to get to places."

She said the closure of the road to two-way traffic had increased congestion, damaged town centre businesses and had seen the price of a taxi for people living in the Top of Town soar as drivers were forced to take a longer route.

Mrs Bailey has left copies of the petition in most of the shops and pubs in the Top of Town.

She plans to hand over the petition to Stroud Town Council at the annual town meeting in the Subscription Rooms tomorrow, Thursday, at 7.30pm and is calling on everyone who shares her concerns to attend the meeting.

Shop owner Owen Kirton, who currently has a petition calling for the re-opening of London Road to two-way traffic in his shop said: "There are three entrances to the town centre and just one exit.

"Anyone who is unfortunate enough to find themselves in a vehicle in Stroud at 5pm while the town empties very slowly down Rowcroft, must surely imagine that the lunatics have finally taken over the asylum."