THE public had their say on a proposed transport plan when two consultation events were held at the weekend.

Hertfordshire Highways asked those who use Letchworth GC and Baldock roads and public transport to comment on a draft version of the Letchworth and Baldock Urban Transport Plan (UTP) on Saturday, following the document’s release last Monday.

Issues highlighted in the report include the A1(M) Letchworth Gate junction, the Letchworth GC one-way system surrounding Leys Avenue and a lack of bus services in both towns.

Proposals include increasing red light time at Letchworth Gate, making Gernon Road in Letchworth GC two-way and reviewing the Leys Avenue right turn ban.

A Highways spokesman said that around 50 people visited the Goldsmith Centre in Letchworth GC, with a further 50 attending Baldock Community Centre.

He said that feedback showed that town centre works were a “key issue” in Letchworth GC, while problems with bus services were highlighted in Baldock.

“We were quite pleased with the turnout and the feedback that we received,” he added.

Letchworth town centre manager Lee Boswell was among those attending the Letchworth GC event.

He said: “I’m pleased that Herts Highways have recognised that the decision to force a left turn out of Leys Avenue was counter-productive to the town centre’s economic growth but disappointed that their proposal suggests this will not be removed until 2015 at the earliest.

“I would urge everyone to pull together to have this traffic island removed as soon as possible.

“The other proposal, to make Gernon Road two-way, is very welcome. Again, I feel this should be prioritised even further and moved forward in their plans to help the towns economic position and reduce journey times and carbon emissions at the same time.

“However the glaring omission in the UTP is any remedy for the lights at the top of Station Road which still cause delays to journey times, increases emissions, makes accessing the town centre harder and generally frustrates a lot of people.”

Responding to The Comet about issues with the A1(M) Letchworth Gate junction via social networking site Twitter, FCalm said: “Agree Letchworth Gate junction is not right, I see frequent collisions there.”

BPRaqsSharqi said: “I loathe that junction and hope something can be done to improve it.”

The consultation on the UTP - available via https://consult.hertsdirect.org/letchworthandbaldockutp - runs until October 28.