CONTROVERSIAL barriers closing off a lane at one of Colchester’s busiest roundabouts have been removed after pressure from campaigners.

More than 2,000 residents signed a petition calling for the barriers, blocking off the inside lane at the North Station Road roundabout, to be binned.

The petition said the lane closure, introduced to promote social distancing, was causing a “huge increase in congestion and pollution” and should be reconsidered along with other coronavirus-related road amendments in the area.

Essex Highways removed the barriers from the roundabout yesterday however some street furniture has been left in place to mark space dedicated for cyclists.

Colchester Council’s transport boss Martin Goss said he has been discussing how to get the barriers removed.

“I met with highways officers on site and we were there at 2pm to look at the congestion,” he said.

“We were joined by Stuart Johnson of Colchester Cycling Campaign who also acknowledged it was causing massive tailbacks for drivers.

“Between us we came up with a compromise which still kept the cycle space but open up the third lane to traffic.

“It is a win win at this moment in time. It is a very difficult area and you cannot afford to take any road space away.

“Credit must go to Essex Highways for listening and getting it sorted.

"There has been no stonewalling and we have been listened to and found a compromise which should work for everyone.”

Robert Mitchell, deputy cabinet member for infrastructure at Essex Highways, said the lane closure was removed in response to increasing traffic levels.

He said: “The Covid-safety Safer, Greener, Healthier measures were introduced urgently and we said we would monitor and listen to views and adjust as necessary, which is exactly what the monitoring board, made up of Colchester and Essex councillors, has done here.

“Traffic has come back faster, and to higher levels, from lockdown than we expected, not least with the current re-opening of schools and brought unwelcome congestion at this pinch-point.

“Our road safety engineers confirmed the removal was safe and we have responded as fast as possible.

“However, for every one of us who drives, we are potentially part of the congestion problem and we sometimes have that moral choice, especially for short journeys - can we make a better decision than to drive?”