Feature: Colchester's traffic woes and ideas to solve them

Or the Avenue of Remembrance, Balkerne Hill, Southway or any other of the myriad of traffic hotspots in Colchester.

Ask most Colcestrians, or those who work in the town, and they’ll tell you delays on the roads are often the bane of their lives.

Figures used by Essex Highways show vehicle movements in the town have risen steadily and considerably since 2000, from around 480 million annual vehicle-kilometres to 550 million in 2018.

The cause is not a mystery, Colchester is one of the fastest growing towns in the country, however the solution is much more difficult to come up with.

Kevin Bentley, Essex County Council’s deputy leader and infrastructure boss, is the man who is tasked with coming up with the solutions.

Reporter Katherine Palmer, Kevin Bentley and Colchester's MP Will Quince

He said: “We can see around the town the impact of poor decisions which were made 20 years ago.

“I have long said we must have proper infrastructure before we start building homes. If we do not, it will lead to problems.

“Sometimes that is not possible and so we have to retrofit infrastructure.

“That is what we are seeing in Ipswich Road where we are doing work to meet existing housing and also for the future.

“The problem with Ipswich Road is it is very difficult when you are living your life and stuck in traffic there to think to how it will be better in a year’s time. The benefit is not tangible to people.”

Interestingly, figures show although there has been a steady increase in traffic in the town since 2000, peak times are also spreading meaning extended rush hour periods.

With it now widely accepted we’re in the midst of a climate crisis - action on congestion is needed now more than ever.

“We are going to have electric cars in the future but whilst that might improve air quality it will not improve congestion,” Mr Bentley said.

“The solution is about all of us, including me.

“We have to remember that if we are sitting in a car ourselves then we are contributing to congestion.

“We are now having a long conversation with engineers about how we can plan for housing so highways is the first thing we think about.”

Colchester’s Objectively Assessed Need (OAN), as confirmed by a planning inspector, is 920 homes per year.

This means the town’s growth is very unlikely to slow down any time soon.

Although developments bring millions of pounds for road improvements and the like, alternatives to car journeys are desperately needed.

Mr Bentley, who lives in Mersea, said: “As we build more homes, and we do have to build more homes, congestion becomes more of a problem.

“What we need to do is make sure there is a better alternative to cars.

“In Colchester we have the Park and Ride which is good and is becoming much busier but I would like to see more park and rides in the town.

“For me, it is obvious people will change when there is a proper alternative. It is about modal shift.”

Providing this alternative is where things like the new Rapid Transit System come in.

As part of the Local Plan process, Essex County Council has launched a consultation on this system as well as a new A120/A133 link road.

Mr Bentley said: “If people can move quicker and cheaper in an alternative to a car then people will get out of their cars.”

For more on the consultation visit essex.gov.uk.