A CAMPAIGNER has called the regular flouting of Colchester's High Street car ban "common knowledge" after he recorded dozens of drivers ignoring the restriction.

Peter Kay accused highways bosses of failing to enforce a ban on driving along the city's centre road, which was first put in place in June 2020.

Initially touted as a means of ensuring space for pedestrians and enabling effective social distancing during the pandemic, the ban was in place 24 hours a day.

But, under plans to make the restriction permanent, general traffic is now banned from using the road between 7am and 7pm.

Buses, taxis, blue badge holders and motorbikes are still able to access the High Street.

Last week the Gazette revealed motorists were fined £124,000 for parking illegally in Colchester High Street across a 12-month period.

Figures gathered through a Freedom of Information request showed 2,987 fines were handed out between July 1 of last year and June 30 this year, averaging out at around eight people per day.

But Mr Kay said Essex County Council's highways department has failed to properly enforce the ban, leaving the road largely unmonitored.

"Everyone else can see there are loads of cars going down the High Street all day, and most Colchester drivers know they are still entirely free to do it," he said.

Mr Kay said his own traffic surveys, carried out in 2020 and 2021 across hour-long sessions, showed between 120 and 130 vehicles were breaching the ban every hour.

"Had they actually enforced this temporary scheme over the last 25 months it would have shown what impact a High Street ban has on increasing traffic elsewhere," he said.

"The most obvious likely [impact] is on Magdalen Street to Brook Street, which are already congested.

"But thanks to council non-enforcement, nothing has been learned and they are now about to bring in a permanent scheme without knowledge of the likely impact."

He added: "It is very rare in contrast to have any prohibited vehicles come up North Hill into the High Street.

"There is not more than one in a typical hour, because people know this is monitored and fined."

A spokeswoman for Essex County Council said traffic regulation orders put in place are enforceable by the police.

She added the restrictions in place still allow traffic for essential business and access purposes, while restricting through traffic.

“Recent figures show compared to traffic levels prior to the pandemic, there has been a notable reduction in the levels of traffic since the additional restrictions to the High Street were introduced,” she said.

“This is around a third of a reduction in traffic entering the High Street.”