London /Ellough/Beccles Southern relief RoadSpeeding

Please consider this letter to appear in the local Beccles and Bungay 
Journal. Maybe a bit of press coverage might just get somebody's 
attention, or at least cause a reaction from other affected residents 
who feel that at present no one ever listens to us.


According to the Suffolk Local Transport Plan 2011-2031 Implementation 
Plan page 30 which relates to Beccles, the Southern Relief Road was 
necessary to stop heavy traffic heading towards the town centre when 
aiming to get to Ellough Business Estates from the A145. Hence turning 
right at the new western end roundabout of the Relief Road instead of 
entering London Road was the answer to this problem.

OR WAS IT?

Probably the answer is YES.

Has it created more problems than it has solved.

Very much so the answer is YES.

Is anybody listening to residents who’s lives it now affects.

Absolutely NO.

When the relief road was proposed we were told that weight restriction 
signs would be erected at the roundabout entrance to London Road to stop 
heavy vehicles driving towards the town.

Are there any signs the answer is NO.

We were told that traffic would reduce as vehicles would be turning up 
along the relief road, in fact cutting down the volume of vehicle’s 
travelling along London Road.

The reduction of vehicles would be such that London Road would no longer 
be classified an A road but become a B road.

Has the road become a B road the answer is YES.

Have vehicle volumes reduced the answer is absolutely NO.


An earlier survey showed that 5500 out of 17500 daily vehicle movements 
on London Road break the Police prosecutable level of 34mph. The Dep. 
Chief Constable-Rachel Kearton says we need sufficient serious 
accidents, and enough complaints before a FIXED Camera could be CONSIDERED.

We are now having more speeding and heavy vehicles travelling along the 
road than ever before.



There are NO speed limit signs along London Road in either direction.



Because we now have a link from Ellough to London Road via the relief 
road, vehicles are now using this to get into the town instead of using 
the original Beccles Bypass.

To cut down journey times and because of modern SatNav devices, vehicles 
travelling from Lowestoft now turn left at the Ellough roundabout end of 
the relief road and down to London Road with their aim to get to the 
South Eastern side of the town to bypass Beccles.

We are continually getting heavy articulated lorries travelling along 
London Road, many of which are foreign vehicles because their SatNav 
tells them too.

This cuts down their travel distance as they do not now have to travel 
along the original Beccles Bypass and travel to the Stockton roundabout 
to then turn left to go westerly towards Bungay.

In fact heavy vehicles including tractors and heavy trailers and slurry 
tankers are taking London Road as a shortcut from Bungay to get to the 
Ellough Bio Plant, whereas they should travel from Bungay along the A143 
to Stockton and bypass Beccles along the A146 thus avoiding the need to 
enter Beccles and it's residential areas.

Other heavy vehicles are also using this shortcut to get to Lowestoft or 
indeed just to travel in an Easterly direction.


I would ask where are the speed signs along London Road and the weight 
restriction signs at the relief road roundabouts.

The weight restriction signs would stop the heavy vehicles entering 
London Road and speed limit signs or speed restriction measures would 
slow down the increased traffic.



We were told that the relief road would cut down traffic along London Road.

The answer to this is an absolute NO.



With a new housing development along London Road and the problems that 
causes existing residents, a nightmare scenario exists.

There will eventually be a major accident through heavy traffic and 
speeding being the cause. London Road is not built to carry the traffic 
it is now experiencing, with the road being narrow in parts and a very 
narrow pavement that is regularly used by dog walkers and people 
enjoying a leisurely walk in what was a pleasant and quite outskirts 
area of Beccles.



London Road - The Relief Road - Ellough Road, they have all now become 
non policed areas and as such seem to form what can only be described as 
an evening and late night speedway track utilised by noisy speeding 
motorcycles and cars.

We residents fear the time we have too leave our properties to help a 
crash victim.


Is any officialdom listening to us the answer is NO.



Suffolk and Local counsellors, Highways and Environment, Police 
Authorities and even our MP seem to ignore all our Emails. In fact we 
residents have had not one single reply just a total wall of silence.


Will someone please listen to the residents of Beccles whose lives are 
being affected.