ONE-WAY SYSTEM – Information from Snaith & Cowick Town Council
Snaith & Cowick Town Council are aware that there has been a lot of interest generated from publications made in the press and social media about the one-way system currently applied on Market Place, and which perhaps implies that this system is now a permanent feature in Snaith.
We would therefore like to take this opportunity to clarify the situation and hopefully ease some of your concerns.
The one-way system was put in place in July 2015 to ease safety concerns that the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) had regarding traffic flow in the town during the period the Newland Bridge would be closed.
The town council were then approached by the ERYC in August 2015 to garner our thoughts on how the system was being received, as this was something that they knew both residents and council had favoured in the past. To offer some background here, a community group called Snaith & Cowick Together was set up in 2009 to develop a ‘Community Plan’ which would capture the thoughts of all residents on how to make Snaith and Cowick a better place to live. This survey – carried out in 2010 – encompassed a wide variety of themes, including traffic and parking, to leisure and crime prevention and the survey data was then interpreted and a report produced to outline findings and proposals. This report suggested that a majority of respondents were in favour of Market Place being one-way, along with some other suggestions. A full copy of this report is available on our website at www.snaithandcowicktowncouncil.com.
Further to the query from the ERYC, the town council subsequently issued a survey to those residents whom, by living close by, would be directly affected by the retention of the one-way system and the possibility of extending it up to Pontefract Road. A total of 75% of respondents were in favour of the system, of the 33% of those canvassed who replied. This information was forwarded to the ERYC with all associated comments.
The town council were then contacted by the ERYC in early December 2015 advising that the Newland Bridge works were coming to a close and that once all works were completed the one-way signs would be removed. In light of both the 2010 Community Plan and the recent localised survey, the town council requested that the signs remain whilst formal consultation took place as to whether the system should be retained. The response from the ERYC indicated this was already underway and they had submitted an application for an Experimental Order for 18 months so that a full consultation could be undertaken. The town council are currently awaiting the exact details for this consultation and will advise via press and social media of any information received on how this will progress. In the interim, we cannot stress enough that, whilst the information gathered from these surveys previously undertaken was used as a basis for starting this process, a further full and formal consultation will be carried out to determine the views of the residents of Snaith.
Please can we stress that Snaith & Cowick Town Council have never carried out any major schemes or projects without prior consultation with its residents. May we also request that residents join the Snaith & Cowick Town Council Facebook page to ensure they receive accurate information, or, alternatively, by contacting the Town Clerk directly by e-mail, telephone or by visiting the council office on Market Place.
