RESIDENTS in Dorchester’s Lubbecke Way are said to have mixed feelings about new traffic orders for their road which should be in place by the end of October.

No parking areas, a weight restriction and calming measures, are being put in place to improve safety and slow traffic heading to and from the town’s recycling centre at Louds Mill.

The road was designated for access to the recycling centre earlier in the summer with the closure of the previous route along St George’s Road. Since then residents have complained about safety with several reports of cars being struck by passing vehicles.

West Dorset MP Sir Oliver Letwin chaired a meeting with residents and local councillors on Friday in an attempt to resolve some of the problems.

Cllr Richard Biggs, who attended the meeting, said many of the residents were sceptical about how successful the measures might be – with many arguing that a new site was needed in the area for the household recycling centre.

“All agreed with what was being proposed but there are mixed feelings about how effective it might be.

“It was still felt that it was inappropriate to use Lubbecke Way in the long-term,” he said at Monday evening’s town council planning committee, pointing out that the town had grown from 12,000 to 20,000 since it was opened.

He said that other options might yet be explored to solve traffic problems – including a one-way system and a 20mph speed restriction.

Other councillors warned that the parking restrictions would cause new problems for the area, forcing town centre workers who park in the road all day to find other places.

Cllr Fiona Kent-Ledger said that both the youth club and the nearby Dorset Youth Association were popular venues for meetings and training courses but neither had enough parking, resulting in those attending parking in Lubbecke Way, something they were unlikely to be able to do in a month’s time. She suggested that organisations booking either venue ought to ensure that they pointed out that there would be a shortage of parking.

Cllr Molly Rennie said that when the new restrictions came in it was likely to “cause an almighty mess” for other roads with people trying to find other areas to park for free.

Cllr Tim Harries said he hoped that the weight restriction would be enforced from the start. He said that at least one resident was photographing lorries which should not be using the route and Sir Oliver Letwin had said he would write to the chief executives of offending companies if it continued.