HIGHWAYS officers claim in a new report that a controversial road scheme installed several years ago between Tavistock and Horrabridge has slowed traffic down despite continued calls for its removal.

The rural gateway is a 500-yard stretch of road which was changed from two-way to single track with passing places to calm traffic. 

But local people say it has actually caused chaos and have demanded that the original road layout be reinstated.

In a report to the West Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC), which meets today (Thursday), highways officers say that speed monitoring was carried out last autumn and results indicate that the rural gateway 'continued to help reduce speeds at the Whitchurch entrance to Tavistock'.

They said there was also no 'significant injury collision trend' on this stretch of road.

The report was compiled following safety concerns raised by Tavistock Town Council, Horrabridge Parish Council and Plasterdown Grouped Parish Council.

In a survey of residents in Plasterdown and Whitchurch organised by the parish councils, some 80% said they had experienced problems with the rural gateway.

West Devon borough councillor David Cloke said that whenever the A386 was closed because of an accident or works on the road there was mayhem as the single track rural gateway became 'gridlocked'.

He said: 'The road is due to be closed for four days in a week's time so it is going to cause quite a lot of chaos.

'The parish councils and the borough council have constantly asked what is the need for it because it does not seem to serve any purpose.'

Town, borough and county councillor for Tavistock Debo Sellis said she had asked for this issue to come back to the table to 'keep it alive' because there were still major concerns.

'I am not convinced that what they have done does, in fact, calm the traffic because it is a straight road and people put their foot down.'

Chairman of Horrabridge Parish Council Don Yendle said the catchphrase used by Devon County Council was 'We keep Devon Moving'.

'This is laughable if you have to use the rural gateway, it brings traffic to a standstill on every occasion it is used.

'The main A386 was blocked four times last year following accidents, meaning all traffic, both west and east bound, had to use the single lane track of the rural gateway to go to and from Tavistock-Plymouth.

'This is an impossible situation which cannot continue. Emergency services can't get through one way or the other when the A386 is blocked because the gateway is also blocked as a result.'

He said thousands of residents wanted the gateway removed but they were continuing to be ignored: 'It means highways admitting a mistake or their budget simply won't stretch to removing it, maybe both.'

Borough and town councillor Ted Sherrell said the gateway was 'an expensive and unnecessary waste of public money, which had caused more problems than it had solved'.

Local service officer Brian George said drivers would find any alternative route when the A386 was closed difficult: 'The gateway was designed to be there for what happens 99% of the time when there are no RTAs or diversions.

'From this report we can say that there is no collision problem at the gateway and that it is effective in reducing the speed in Whitchurch.'