New signs give residents a break from lorry chaos on Gwydir Street

Residents of a Cambridge cul-de-sac can hope for relief to the problem of lorries regularly becoming stuck on their street due to a lack of appropriate signs.

Although small signs were already in place at the end of Gwydir Street warning it is a no through road, many lorry drivers delivering building materials and plant machinery to the nearby Mill Road depot failed to spot them.

And residents were having to leave their homes several times a day to help the lorries reverse out of the street, often forcing several cars behind them to reverse as well.

After Chris Surridge contacted the Cambridge Independent to complain the situation had worsened since the closure of Mill Road bridge to traffic, we alerted the county council, which took swift action.

Chris said: “It was becoming a bit of a trial. Big lorries carrying a crane or cement or building materials would regularly get stuck here. The problem was the lorries bringing heavy goods to the housing development at Mill Road depot and there was no room for them to turn around.

“People would have to go out of their houses to help the lorries reverse back up the road, often forcing other cars to reverse too. It was chaos and has been a lot worse since the Mill Road Bridge closure.”

However, since the Cambridge Independent alerted county council on Friday to the situation, new temporary signs have been put up at the end of the road diverting traffic away from Gwydir Street.

Chris said: “I went out and had a look on Monday morning and spotted signs that weren’t there before, diverting drivers down Station Road and saying ‘no access for HGVs’.

“I’m very pleased, but they still
need something permanent warning lorries over a certain size when the temporary signs come down.”

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Gwydir Street is a no through road and permanent signs are already in place to inform drivers they can’t go through.

“We’ve worked closely with the contractors carrying out the work on Mill Road Bridge and major delivery companies to ensure they redirect their lorries through an appropriate route while the bridge is closed. Temporary signs are in place to divert those vehicles via Station Road as the alternative route.”