COUNCIL chiefs are being urged to improve High Wycombe’s infrastructure or stop building grand developments before the town is crippled by gridlock.

The Daws Hill Neighbourhood Forum believes the roads are already at peak capacity even before the introduction of incoming large projects.

They said the Handy Cross redevelopment, the potential of up to 1,000 new homes in the Daws Hill area, the Wycombe Masterplan changes, High Heavens waste transfer station build - as well as more shoppers heading to Cressex for the proposed Next and revamped John Lewis stores - will 'transform the roads into car-parks'.

The forum added that it was in favour of development but is pleading for council bosses to act now to ensure Wycombe is able to cope with the potential influx of new residents and vehicles.

At the DHNF’s AGM, committee member Ken Tyson said: "Traffic, congestion and inadequate infrastructure - all our Wycombe-wide issues.

"Anyone that travels through Wycombe, works in Wycombe, visits Wycombe or has children at school in Wycombe has a story to tell about the traffic issues and congestion.

"There are jams today but there will be more jams tomorrow. Unless one of those two objectives (improve infrastructure or stop development) is met, what we are going to face is gridlock.

"Wycombe deserves better, the community deserves a better quality of life. We have put up with this unacceptable situation for too long and there is a list of reasons why it’s going to get worse. Enough is enough."

The forum is calling for Buckinghamshire County Council to carry out a full and thorough traffic survey of the roads in and around Wycombe.

They want the findings from that study to be fed into to all future planning decisions and used to upgrade traffic hot-spots.

My Tyson added: "We are in support of development, I like the idea of a new sports centre, providing the infrastructure is there to support it.

"We either have to work within our constraints or change the constraints - don’t worsen what we already have."

Transport for Buckinghamshire said its Southern Quadrant Strategy sets out the council’s vision for tackling congestion and coping with growth in the south of High Wycombe.

It said it worked with developers through the planning stage to mitigate against negative traffic impacts and was also working alongside Wycombe District Council to help it understand traffic and growth.

TfB added: "In working with WDC, we are utilising a traffic model for the whole town, to understand the impacts of future development and inform the development of WDC’s Local Plan.

"Once we understand the nature of future development in the area we will consider what further transport strategy needs to be developed to improve this understanding and ensure we continue to have an appropriate vision for the area.

"Although it is focused on the challenges faced in the south of the town, the SQTS was developed using a town-wide transport model, to help ensure it considered the full picture."

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