WEEKDAY and Sunday congestion in Felixstowe town centre has become unacceptable according to a chamber of trade and commerce boss who wants to make the area traffic free.

WEEKDAY and Sunday congestion in Felixstowe town centre has become unacceptable according to a chamber of trade and commerce boss who wants to make the area traffic free.

The chairman of the resort's chamber, Shaun Rudduck, said pedestrianisation of part of Hamilton Road is again being looked at by business owners and councillors.

A survey of traders between Boots and Bank Corner found 20 in favour of full pedestrianisation, 15 against and six with no view.

Those against were mainly shops without rear access concerned about the impact on delivery vehicles, or worried about access for the elderly and disabled.

Mr Rudduck said pedestrianisation was back on the agenda because the current situation in Hamilton Road from Monday to Friday and on Sundays is unacceptable.

He said: “Cars park in the restricted bays longer than the allowed time of 30 minutes. Many now totally ignore the double yellow lines on one side of the road, so combined with the drivers who are allowed to park on them, the town becomes filled down each side with vehicles while pedestrians run the gauntlet of trying to avoid through traffic as they walk out between the parked cars.

“Several of our cherished elderly shoppers have met with an accident as a result and the situation gets worse and more dangerous.

“Felixstowe does not suffer on Saturday's when the road is closed to traffic from 10am to 5pm.

“Nor do other towns appear spoilt by their schemes, many permanent. The out of town supermarkets would not benefit further from such a scheme, as most people like myself, already use them anyway for the weekly shop.

“Felixstowe's mix of browser-type, specialist and national shops brings them to the town in addition to other needs like banks.

“Change is often inevitable as populations evolve and life-styles bring new expectations of a town's environment and facilities and this should be welcomed so we don't end up with a place that people prefer to travel from rather than to.”

n Do you think Felixstowe town centre should be traffic-free? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk