Highway chiefs are calling for feedback on whether experimental traffic schemes in Maldon should become permanent.

In response to residents' concerns about traffic congestion in Mill Road and Wantz Road in the town centre, entry to each road has been restricted since the beginning of November.

Cromwell Hill has also been closed to traffic using it as a rat run to avoid the High Street.

Now Steve Broad, Essex County Council's area manager for the south, has written to people living in the affected areas asking for their comments before the end of January.

He said: "The response so far has been muted, which has been surprising. Usually, experimental traffic schemes bring lots of letters or phone calls but that has not happened in this case.

"We introduced the experiment in response to residents' concerns and would like to know their views, good or bad."

Mr Broad said speed and volume data carried out at the beginning of December indicated a slight decrease in the volume of traffic using Mill Road and Wantz Road.

"It should be noted this data must be treated with care as it was not collected at the same time of year as that before the experiment began. It does show, however, the fears expressed by some that traffic would increase are unfounded."

The data collected also seemed to show that traffic previously used Cromwell Hill is using the bypass as was intended and not Market Hill.

Mr Broad can be contacted on at Essex County Council Highways Department, South Area Office, Churchill House, 55 to 57 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh SS6 7JE.

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