Hunts A14 needs default traffic plan

TWO weeks ago, it was the jumper. I am told queues were back to Milton, and journeys within Huntingdon were taking up to three hours.

Last week, it was a crane. Huntingdon and much of the surrounding area was gridlocked yet again.

Latest Hunts Post front page story: “End of the Road – A14 project is scrapped.”

The Highways Agency’s forecast showed traffic over the viaduct increasing by 17,000 vehicles a day by 2025, and that was before 8,000 jobs at Alconbury became a gleam in the developer’s eye.

Clearly a police priority is to get the road opened again as soon as possible. But what about road users in the meantime?

So two questions: 1. Is there a plan? This is not the first time – remember the feathers and January’s alcohol tanker and the pigs? 2. Why don’t the local traffic police immediately implement a traffic management plan every time the A14 is closed, diverting traffic by use of overhead gantries on the M1/M6/A14 etc, signs at Histon and Ellington, and actively encourage traffic to use other routes (the A428)?

And, if they say that they are doing so, then we should tell them in no uncertain terms that it isn’t working. How many cars were in the queue back to Milton?

After all, we are going to need something that actually allows the trade of the country and local residents to travel relatively normally when Huntingdon viaduct falls down or needs major repair.

Councillor MIKE SHELLENS

Liberal Democrat

Huntingdon East