AFTER a full scale traffic review, including careful consultations, which first began in September last year, Looe town council is forwarding its recommendations to Cornwall County Highways to enable them to put into place a new Traffic Regulation Order.
Councillors voted on eight separate recommendations with only a few queries and amendments. These included dropping an idea in Station Road to install parking meters for short term shoppers. Dave Bryan commented that he felt uneasy about metres. 'It is the first step to urbanising Looe', he said. 'Once we open the floodgates the local authority will recognise it as a very nice source of revenue'. Constable Barry Mills said his worries concerned where disabled drivers would park. Roy Perriment was concerned about the taking away of parking from part of West Looe quay road. He said it was a good traffic calming measure. 'If we over regulate we will destroy our town' he said. However councillors felt this recommendation was important to allow the fire brigade a free way along the quayside when answering call outs.
Among the recommendations are a taxi rank for six cars at the roadside in Station Road, opposite the medical centre, and the moving back of the existing marked bus bay towards the station to accommodate it; all other bus bays in Station Road remain the same; the parking restriction sign at the police station end of Station Road be moved back to the cobbled area of the pavement and all parking from the sign back toward the Globe Inn be forbidden; all parking on the West Looe Quay from the Bridge End to the existing traffic regulation sign opposite the Portbyhan Hotel be forbidden with the exception of trade vehicles at the hotel, club and public house; the 30mph signs on the approaches to the town at St Martin's Road and the Polperro New Road be moved to encompass the new curtilages, and reminder signs and 'dragons teeth' be placed to reinforce the speed restriction signs.