Council officer apologises for mistake on Luton red routes map

A mix-up over a map showing potential red routes in Luton has led to a borough council officer saying sorry for any confusion.
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The document featured streets in the town where red routes might be an option in the future.

Dunstable Road, Leagrave Road, Dallow Road, Hatters Way, Vauxhall Way, Wigmore Lane and Crawley Green Road were highlighted on the drawing.

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But the map was not intended for discussion by the local authority’s overview and scrutiny board.

Red RoutesRed Routes
Red Routes

Councillors were astonished at the proposals, which appeared to be added on to a request for the current red routes in Luton to be made permanent.

They deferred making a judgement until a more detailed report could be produced along with the map.

The council’s public services director, Alex Constantinides said: “In our haste to give as much information as we could, we provided a map that shows the possibility of other areas we wanted to consider.

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“My sincere apologies, as it came across as if we had programmed those other areas already.

“Absolutely not. They are the types of strategic routes we could consider in future years.

“We would have to agree first as a council whether we do that or not, and there’s been no such agreement.

“And it would have to go through a process of consultation, budgeting and so on.

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“My sincere apologies. It was just trying to be helpful. They are the type of areas you could look at in the future.”

The experiment began on Airport Way in November 2018 and was extended into parts of the town centre last January.

Vehicles are forbidden to park or wait along red routes, which are monitored by CCTV and marked by double red lines.

Mr Constantinides presented the new report, saying: “We have two pilot routes. We have seen this as being quite successful.

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“The consultation which has come back has minimal objections.

“Changes in the town centre have been introduced, with disabled and loading bays put in.

“The officers’ recommendation is that we proceed to make the orders permanent.”

The restrictions operate 24 hours a day where there are double red lines, and the enforcement period is on a nearby sign for a single red line, according to the council’s network and safety manager Christine Davy.

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Liberal Democrat Wigmore councillor Peter Chapman said: “I don’t disagree in principle.

“When red routes are introduced we need to think about what other things happen at the same time.

“For example, investigating opening Chapel Street car park in the evening.

“I don’t know why the car parks aren’t open in the evenings.

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“if we’re to consider this in the future, the important thing is not to think everywhere is the same.

“They do work,” he added. “If we stuck red routes everywhere in Luton and enforced them there would be no cars parked anywhere.

“There are some people who would like that, but we wouldn’t have any shops.”

The board agreed to recommend to the executive that the two red routes become permanent.