Hockliffe traffic chaos is making us ill says council as it urgest people to sign a petition calling for action

Traffic through Hockliffe village is making its residents ill according to the parish council.

Councillors are urging residents to sign a petition to be presented to the House of Commons calling for urgent action over the more than 20,000 vehicles a day which travel along the A5 at Hockliffe.

In a statement, Hockliffe Parish Council said: “It is our view that the volume of traffic, especially HGVs, now using the A5 trunk road through Hockliffe, endangers the health, safety and wellbeing of residents and negatively impacts local businesses.

"With over 400 homes, Hockliffe uniquely has a trunk road passing through its centre. The A5/M1 link road, opened in 2017, provided relief for Dunstable but the impact on Hockliffe was underestimated, with more than 20,000 vehicles now passing daily through the village, a high percentage being HGVs.

"The four-way traffic lights in the centre of the village cannot cope with this growing volume of traffic and this, all too frequently, causes congestion and lengthy tailbacks in all directions. The noise and fumes from long queues of stationary traffic affect the health and wellbeing of residents.

"Pedestrians and motorists often face dangers from frustrated drivers mounting pavements, racing to beat the traffic lights or performing U turns to avoid stationary or slow-moving traffic. M1 closures, due to accidents or maintenance, cause gridlock in the village and residents often suffer sleep disruption due to large numbers of HGVs passing through at night.

"We believe that the soon-to-be-completed A6/M1 link road, and the growing number of new HGV logistics parks and homes in the area, can only worsen the situation for Hockliffe.”

Volunteers and councillors will now be contacting residents and business owners asking them to sign the petition. Signatures must have a Hockliffe address and postcode.

To find out more about the petition contact the Clerk at Hockliffe Parish Council by email [email protected] or call 01525 211693

It is hoped that canvassing will be completed by September 8 so that the result can be discussed at the September 11 Parish Council meeting before submission to Andrew Selous MP for presentation to the House of Commons. The deadline can be extended if it becomes necessary to ensure as many residents as possible have the opportunity to sign.