RESIDENTS in a Felixstowe street today dubbed a new traffic safety scheme a waste of money – and say it has made the dangers worse.The project, which cost around £35,000, was carried out in Colneis Road after growing concern over the speed of cars at all times of day, and congestion at school times.

RESIDENTS in a Felixstowe street today dubbed a new traffic safety scheme a waste of money – and say it has made the dangers worse.

The project, which cost around £35,000, was carried out in Colneis Road after growing concern over the speed of cars at all times of day, and congestion at school times.

Police checks had found some drivers using the 30mph road at 50mph, and one motorist at nearly 70mph.

The project has narrowed the road at each end with crossing points, added a zebra, junction changes with crossings, and parking restrictions.

But residents say it has achieved very little. Campaigners circulated a survey to all 140 households – 83 forms were returned, 43 of them against the scheme.

Mayor Doreen Savage said she had been contacted by residents who were "were very annoyed at the waste of money" on the works.

"Speed is still the major problem on Colneis Road and the scheme doesn't seem to have done anything at all to solve the problems but has exacerbated them," she said.

"It is now a challenge to some drivers to see how fast they can get through the chicane and away."

The problem outside Colneis Junior School had also not gone away with some parents parking on the yellow lines to drop children off.

Residents say the restrictions have not encouraged parents to walk with their children to school – simply moving the parking problems down Colneis Road or into Rosemary Avenue and Sunningdale Drive.

Mrs Savage told the town council's general purposes committee the survey had been sent to county council highways engineer Angela Rapley.

The county council has said the scheme needed to be given time to settle and for people to get used to using it, and it would be monitored before any changes were proposed.

Police were speaking to parents about parking and the safety issues and the reasons for the scheme.

Mrs Savage stressed the need for residents to keep a log of problems and their own observations and to let councillors or Ms Rapley have this feedback.

Councillors were concerned that because the safety scheme had gone through so many changes in the planning and so many consultation exercises no-one had known what was to be built and what it would achieve.

Other problems which had arisen included parents parking on grass verges, and the sharpness of the right turn into Rosemary Avenue.

It was agreed to take the issues raised and the residents' concerns to a meeting of the joint town-county council Highways Advisory Committee in the New Year.

nWhat do you think – is the Colneis Road scheme public money well spent? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk