End the Roadworks Chaos!

Liberal Democrat candidate for Eastgate and Moreton Hall, Andy McGowan, has launched a petition calling on Suffolk County Council to step up and improve their coordination and communication when it comes to roadworks around Bury St Edmunds.
 

For the past three weeks, residents and drivers have suffered huge delays because of the chaos caused by the road closure on Hollow Road and temporary traffic lights on Northgate Street because of the gas works. Journeys which should take ten minutes have been taking an hour. From people trying to do school runs, to people being late for appointments, to people struggling to get into town.
 

There is no denying that gas works need to be done – but the lack of coordination and communication from Suffolk County Council is what has added to the chaos. Residents and businesses had no clue these roadworks were happening. Suffolk Highways did not post about the closures on their Facebook page until three days after they had started, even though the dates were confirmed at least a week in advance. And the problems have not just been down to a lack of communication. Signage was missing or not clear, and we find ourselves with multiple sets of works taking place at the same time across the town. There is no excuse for no communication.
 

This petition calls on Suffolk County Council to:
1. Improve the coordination and planning of roadworks and diversions so that we do not end up with multiple sets of roadworks closing off roads at the same time
2. Significantly improve communication so that local residents and businesses are aware as early as possible and are not having to rely on information behind paywalls or third party social media channels to learn about road closures. Councillors, residents associations and community organisations are also well-placed to help share the information, so the council should be proactively working with them.
3. Commit to better accountability and ongoing communication if roadworks are delayed.