A ONE-WAY traffic scheme is set to be introduced on a busy Southampton road.

Council road chiefs have recommended turning Grange Road, Shirley, into a one-way street between the junction of Romsey Road and a point immediately south of the plant hire depot.

Last September, 27 residents of the road signed a petition calling for "immediate action to solve the major problem forced upon us by the city council (orders) in the immediate area".

It specifies that improvements are needed to the parking situation and that action is required to prevent the use of a short cut. It proposes to permit parking for residents and change the road to either a cul-de-sac or one-way operation to deal with the through traffic.

A traffic survey between November 24 and 30, 1999 showed 1,169 vehicles used the road and that it was heavily used for parking because it was one of the side roads on the edge of a residents' parking scheme.

A report by council officer Geoff Cornford, which will be put before the local authority's environmental services (roads and parking) sub-committee tomorrow, said: "Closure of the road to through-traffic is not a viable option. It is considered that the only practical solution to deal with the through-traffic issue is to introduce one-way operation in the road. This will remove a substantial amount of the through-traffic."

It adds: "Residents are concerned about the current situation in Grange Road, both in terms of through traffic and parking availability."

It says it will make a substantial impact on the volume of traffic and that this year the possible introduction of a residents' parking scheme will be investigated.

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