Outraged residents protest about 'traffic chaos' outside recycling centre
Residents have protested outside a recycling centre that a council’s new bin tax will put lives at risk.
Feelings are running high locally after it was revealed that South Gloucestershire Council’s introduction of charging for the collection of green bin waste will generate around 75,000 more visits a year to the council’s four Sort It centres by recyclers keen to avoid the new tax.
But even before all these extra visits, there is already traffic chaos in and around these recycling centres, including at Mangotsfield, which saw local residents protest outside it over the weekend.
Local Councillor Ian Adams, who is also the Conservative Lead Member on the council’s Communities Committee, is leading the campaign on the council against the new bin tax, which is being supported by Labour and LibDem councillors. He said:
“Feelings are already running very high locally about the existing traffic nightmare in and around the council's Sort It centres, particularly at Mangotsfield which simply cannot cope with the demand that is placed on it.
As a result, traffic backs up onto Carsons Road, which means that nearby residents wanting to access their homes and go about their daily lives have to pull out into oncoming traffic in order to drive around queuing recyclers.
Lives are already being put at risk and it's only a matter of time before there's a serious accident.
This road safety risk will worsen considerably once the green bin tax kicks in because Labour and LibDem councillors are encouraging more residents to dispose of their green bin waste at the Sort It centres as a means of avoiding their new tax, which will generate around 75,000 extra Sort It centre visits a year.
I'm calling on the council to urgently put in place measures to deal with the community's very real concerns about the outrageous effects of this new bin tax and how it will impact upon people’s daily lives.”