THE old saying “be careful what you wish for, you may get it” has never been more true. Those promoting Option Two for Wisbech Market Place are to get what they wished for, pay parking!

THE old saying “be careful what you wish for, you may get it” has never been more true. Those promoting Option Two for Wisbech Market Place are to get what they wished for, pay parking!

It was obvious to any intelligent person that if option two was adopted pay parking would quickly spread to all Fenland District Council Car Parks. After all the people have voted for it! So businesses throughout Fenland have the small coterie of vested interests around the Market in Wisbech to thank for pay parking in their town. Will the shops throughout Fenland see pay parking as a help to improving their trade? I doubt it.

But you all know who is to blame. The shop keepers of Wisbech Market Place! After all they have shouted loud enough. They have the blind support of councillors who only seem to be elected to help their friends and not to consider the wider community. As one councillor said: “I believe in localism, the people around the Market Place should make the decision”. When asked whether the shopper’s views should be considered he said they are not local enough. Who is it who spends the money that is the life blood of shops?

Add to this the plan to reintroduce through traffic, yes I did say through traffic, and you have a recipe for disaster. But that is what is planned. Did you know? The boy racers, whose sound systems are worth more than their car, will enjoy the new cruising route.

The Wisbech councillor proposing the Option Two to the Area Joint Traffic Committee insisted the route through the Market Place “doesn’t lead anywhere”. Oh no? Please check your geography beside this scenario.

I’m in my car at the traffic lights on the Town Bridge. I want to go to Norfolk Street, West Street, Victoria Road Elm Road or beyond. Do I?

• Turn left along Nene Quay

• Navigate the most crowded and hazardous roundabout in the area

• Wait at the most dangerous Zebra Crossing in Cambridgeshire

• Probably wait at another controlled pedestrian crossing by the Hospital

• Wait at Stermyn Street traffic lights

• Be delayed by another Zebra Crossing in Stermyn Street

Or

• Cut through the Market Place

It’s a no brainer! What choice will you and hundreds of others make?

Why through traffic I hear you ask. Cannot do better than to quote the words of the chairman of the Area Joint Committee for Transport, “so articulated lorries do not have to turn round”. Now we are to have a lorry route through the Market Place. The vast majority of the large delivery lorries have made their deliveries and departed before 8am. Where is the problem of turning round a lorry in the Market Place at 7am. The logic of Option Two totally escapes me.

With a well thought out scheme, and one has been proposed, sanity could be returned to the control of the traffic that so endangers shoppers in the Market Place, High Street and Hill Street at present and will only be made worse by a new scheme based on the principle set out in Option Two.

The reason for not bringing sanity to Wisbech Market Place is unabashed political dogma. What a sad day for our town.

JOHN SMITH

Via e-mail