The proposed A6 by-pass, considered by the County Council yesterday, may mean the end of Rushden’s one-way system. The diversion of heavy traffic from the town and Higham Ferrers is likely to relieve congestion to such an extent that no-waiting regulations may also be eased.

The £8 million by-pass – expected to run from three miles south of Rushden to near Market Harborough – will take truck road traffic past the two towns, in addition to six others.

It is also hoped that no-waiting restrictions at Rushden and Higham Ferrers, principally on the A6, may be abolished – something for which traders have been pressing over the years, as they claim parking rules have been affecting trade.

De-Restriction?

Mr. Cyril Freeman, chairman of Rushden Urban Council, indicated that there was a chance of this being brought about by the introduction of the 22-mile by-pass.

He told us: “This is a reasonable possibility. It might also mean that the present no-waiting is de-restricted in the High Street.”

Mr. Don Gibson, president of the Rushden and Higham Chamber of Trade, also welcomed the idea.

No Backwater

He felt the people most likely to be affected were filling stations and restaurant owners who benefited from motorists passing through.

Mr. John Coleman, who owns newsagents’ and stationers’ shops at Rushden and Higham Ferrers, on the main A6 road, told an “Echo” reporter that he did not think the new road would make Rushden and Higham Ferrers a backwater.

Mr. Colin Rockingham, mayor of Higham Ferrers, said that the County Council seemed to be faced with two alternatives; either the number of cars should be kept down, or roads built for them. He was in favour of the second.

“It’s an excellent scheme,” he said. “There is no good scratching the surface of this problem.

A spokesman for the Higham Ferrers garage, Nene Motors Ltd. which has petrol pumps in the High Street, said that he thought it was quite obvious the building of such a road would affect the business on the High Street.

Farmers’ Problem

It is quite possible that the proposed by-pass will pass close to Wymington, and farmers are hoping that the road will not be built across their land.

“I don’t know whether the road will come this way,” said Mr. H. C. Mitchell, of Oxford Street, Wymington, who is a farmer and agricultural engineer, “but if it does it will certainly upset things.”