COUNCILLORS have recommended a study is carried out to look at reducing traffic in Colchester High Street.

The idea was raised at a meeting of Colchester Council’s policy and public initiatives panel.

Members of the public had warned future pedestrianisation of the High Street would not work.

Colchester High Steward Sir Bob Russell asked the council to “abandon any thought on pedestrianising the High Street”.

Councillor Christopher Arnold was on the council when reducing traffic was mooted in the 1990s.

He admitted the move was hated by the public at the time. He added: “What it did not do was look at how to deal with all the traffic that would have been displaced from the town centre.

“It only looked at the High Street and I think that needs to be a warning to us you cannot simply look at one street in a traffic network, especially one which has as much traffic going down it and say lets fix it.”

Planning and housing manager Karen Syrett said various options from “a do nothing approach to full pedestrianisation” would be explored.

The panel recommended Cabinet ask officers to commission a study looking at the options.