Issue - meetings

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

Mr Colin Dunham thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation on the impact of making Hitchin Town Centre free of commercial delivery vehicles.

Audio recording – 41 minutes 53 seconds

Mr Colin Dunham thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding commercial vehicle access to Hitchin Town Centre as follows:

·                Making Hitchin Town Centre traffic free was concerning;

·                Commercial vehicles had to drive through the town centre in order to carry out deliveries to businesses;

·                The public needed to be asked what they thought about making Hitchin town centre traffic free;

·                It would kill the town if Hitchin were to be traffic free.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Judi Billing;

·                Councillor Richard Thake.

Members raised the following matters:

:

·                Market Place was traffic free at weekends and this had not killed the town;

·                More people wanted the town to be traffic free;

·                Being traffic free had improved safety in the town as well as helping to make Hitchin more green;

·                Locking the gate to the High Street on a Saturday has worked well;

·                No Authority would prevent deliveries being made to shops;

·                Making Town Centres vehicle free for periods of time worked.

The Chairman thanked Mr Dunham for his presentation.