Main route into Southend could link into 2 car parks

Members of Southend’s traffic regulations working party were originally asked to consider a right hand turn on Queensway without having to drive to the seafront and back on yourself, but this was rejected.

Queensway connects to the A127 and the A13, making it one of busiest roads into the town, but right-turn restrictions currently prevent cars from turning onto Whitegate Road and York Road, which lead to Warrior Square Car Park and York Road Car Park.

Last Thursday the party threw out a proposal to scrap the restrictions, which would have given motorists direct access to the car parks and no longer forced them to drive towards the seafront or through the town centre to find a parking space. Despite assurances from council officers that the implementation of filter lanes and traffic lights would mitigate the impact on traffic flows, councillors were not convinced.

Labour councillor Helen McDonald said: “I really don’t like this, I think it would be an absolute nightmare.

““There are already traffic jams at peak times and this will make it worse.

“It doesn’t make any logical sense why we would do this.”

Councillor Julian Ware-Lane added: “Queensway can be quite busy at times and this could interrupt traffic flow particularly in the case of York Road.

“If we put lights in you are going to take what is at the moment a 40mph road that can be quite a good and speedy route and suddenly it is going to become otherwise.”

Officers had claimed in the report the change would have eased congestion in the town centre and would allow them to make improvements to “facilities for walking, cycling and public transport access”.

Despite rejecting a right-turn for traffic travelling south to the seafront, councillors did request that council officers consider a new proposal that would instead assess the impact of allowing traffic moving the opposite direction, away from the seafront, to turn left into the car parks.