A CLEAR message has been sent to Colchester Council over plans to reduce traffic from Colchester town centre – get on with it.

Initiatives to unclog the High Street have been discussed for decades, but a public inquiry could delay the latest proposals.

C-Bus, Colchester’s bus users group, has told Colchester Council and Essex County Council to stop floundering.

The councils published traffic regulation orders in March to ban vehicles other than buses, taxis, bikes and motorbikes from the High Street between 10am and 6pm.

They had hoped to have the car ban in place by the end of the year. But more than 180 representations were made from traders, taxi drivers and disabled shoppers, which means a public inquiry may need to be held.

Peter Kay, secretary of C Bus, said the council should press ahead with whatever measures it can.

He said the council could implement the “no right turns” from Head Street into High Street and from High Street into Queen Street under existing draft orders.

That would mean a clear route for the exempt traffic, including buses, but stop cars driving around the town centre.

Mr Kay said: “Colchester Council and Essex County Council have got themselves into a completely unnecessary muddle. They have added ever more things into the scheme until large numbers of people have had to oppose it for one reason or another, even though nobody is against the overall idea. The solution to this artificial impasse is to start the action now by simply introducing the two no right turns.

“After several months experience of this, there could then be further thought as to which, if any, of the other changes might still be desirable and what environmental improvements to the High Street are practicable.

“But if the councils make the wrong decision at their meeting this month, they will have wasted our time and money on nothing.”

In a joint statement, the councils said they were reviewing responses to the consultation. They said: “This is being taken into careful consideration as we want to ensure we make the right decision for Colchester that supports the aims of the Better Town Centre programme.”