Drivers of larger vehicles could be banned from major roads across a popular region as part of new initiatives to keep roads clear.
Two Central Bedfordshire communities have been grappling with HGV traffic issues, prompting separate regulatory proposals that could reshape lorry movements in their areas.
Stotfold residents may soon see a new weight limit imposed on Wrayfields, while in Leighton Buzzard, local residents have been campaigning to tighten existing lorry restrictions on Stanbridge Road.
The proposals reflect growing concerns about road safety and environmental impact in residential areas where large vehicles pose challenges.
PA/GETTY |
The petition called on Central Bedfordshire Council to introduce a road ban for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes
Central Bedfordshire Council has put forward plans for Stotfold, while Leighton Buzzard residents have launched an e-petition demanding changes to a decades-old traffic order.
Both initiatives highlighted tensions between maintaining necessary commercial access and protecting community wellbeing, with consultation periods currently underway for residents to voice their views.
The Stotfold proposal targets Wrayfields with a 7.5 tonne weight limit for HGVs covering a stretch beginning approximately 85 metres southwest of the A1 and continuing to where Malthouse Lane meets Mill Lane.
Council officials said they have identified the A1 dual carriageway as a "more appropriate route" for lorry traffic, designating it as the preferred alternative for through movements.
GETTY |
The council plans on introducing a 7.5 tonne weight restriction along the southwest of the A1
But the proposed order includes several exemptions to ensure essential services continue uninterrupted, the council explained.
Vehicles requiring access for deliveries, emergency services, and those involved in construction or maintenance activities would be permitted to use the restricted route. Local residents have until August 29 to submit their views on the proposal.
Meanwhile, Leighton Buzzard residents have initiated an e-petition seeking to eliminate a training vehicle exemption from Stanbridge Road's weight restriction, which has been in place since 1996.
The original traffic regulation order prohibits vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes from using the stretch between numbers 1 and 222 on Stanbridge Road, except for loading purposes.
However, the order contains a provision allowing learner HGV drivers to use the route for training purposes, permitting the larger vehicles above the weight limit to travel freely along the residential street.
Campaigners have now argued that nearly three decades after its implementation, this exemption has become problematic, with the volume of heavy vehicles using the road reaching unacceptable levels.
The petition specifically requests the council to remove the training exemption while maintaining the loading allowance.
Recent traffic monitoring has revealed a significant increase in lorry movements along Stanbridge Road, with surveys documenting a rise from 1,118 HGVs in November 2023 to 1,922 by May 2025.
GETTY |
HGVs have been repeatedly breaching the weight restrictions on the road
These figures encompass buses alongside lorries, but petitioners warned that the volume remains excessive for a weight-restricted residential street.
Safety concerns also dominated residents' objections, with campaigners highlighting the narrow pavements where pedestrians, including schoolchildren, must navigate alongside heavy traffic.
Properties situated close to the carriageway experience vibrations from passing lorries, while observers have documented HGVs mounting pavements when meeting oncoming traffic.
The petition describes instances of heavy vehicles struggling with roundabouts, either striking kerbs or driving straight over mini-roundabouts due to their size, demonstrating the road's unsuitability for such traffic.