Town councillors have backed calls for action to make Mill Street in Nantwich safer and stop it from “sinking”.
They want to impose weight limits on delivery vehicles using the road which is partly pedestrianised at the top end.
And they also say there should be a speed limit of 5mph imposed to prevent vehicles using excessive speed on a narrow street used by many pedestrians.
Cllr Peter Groves put forward a notice of motion at the recent Nantwich Town Council meeting urging other councillors to back plans to pressure Cheshire East Council into action.
Cllr Groves said: “I spoke to a lady who has a property on there, and there is concern over subsidence as the road seems to be sinking in places.
“One of the reasons we’ve got problems along there is because of the weight of the lorries going up and down it with deliveries.
“Some of these wagons are absolutely huge and very heavy.
“The owner of Ginger & Pickles told me people are stepping out of their shop and nearly being hit by delivery wagons speeding down there.
“I’ve been on to highways at Cheshire East and they are putting it in a future programme of works, but if don’t put something about restricting the weight.
“We also need a 5mph speed limit on vans and delivery wagons for safety reasons.
“Someone is going to be hit unless they have their wits about them.”
Cllr Caroline Kirkham said: “It is very narrow down that street, and there are vehicles speeding along there. This has to be addressed.
“Restrictions on weight is a good idea, it’s a well-used pedestrian area. I fully support us writing to Cheshire East.”
Town councillors voted through the notice of motion which requested the town council writes to CEC to highlight the concerns of residents and business owners on Mill Street.
They are calling for a weight limit to be imposed and for a 5mph speed limit for safety reasons.
In reality you have to question the original specification for this block paving. The hardcore, how well was this done, what weight of vehicles was it designed to with stand. My tarmac drive will not take the punishment of a main road concept. Go back to the original specifications when the work was done by Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council.
Sadly delivery vehicles have to make their deliveries if you want to maintain Nantwich as retail area.
Are there alternative routes into town for deliveries.
However everything comes as cost.
To answer a previous comment…
Whilst Nantwich does have a history of salt production, that does not necessarily correlate with an intrinsic risk of subsidence. Mining related subsidence features aren’t prominent in this immediate area; they mainly occur further north in the halite formations around Winsford and Northwich due to extensive salt mining. Brine extraction did occur in Nantwich but from springs and natural groundwater flow, but that doesn’t mean the area is prone to subsidence.
Whilst reducing the weight of vehicles will help, it’s only part of the story. All of Nantwich is liable to subsidence, as an old salt town. This will continue, even without the heavy lorries – just at a slower pace.
Carriageway movement can be caused by a number of factors and sometimes its a combination of issues that cause features to develop. There needs to be a proper geotechnical appraisal of the issues observed before concluding that it is only the vehicles themselves that are causing this, whereas it could be an in-combination effect that requires a different solution, for example, strengthening of the underlying substrate material.
Speeding vehicles are however a separate matter and should be dealt with for pedestrian safety.
Car and van drivers bring vehicles into the square Pepper st etc all the time, at done point someone will be knocked down