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Our town is being killed off by dictator council – we're trapped in our homes and neighbours are turning on each other | The Sun
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FURIOUS locals say they feel trapped in their homes and pitted against their neighbours after council chiefs blocked roads to prevent accidents – despite there not being a crash there in five years.
Residents living in a 'low traffic neighbourhood ' in Exeter, Devon say the scheme is also putting lives at risk by forcing emergency services to take longer routes and even forcing ambulance crews to race to emergencies on foot.
In one case firefighters are said to have used hydraulic cutting tools to remove a bollard blocking their route so they could reach an emergency.
The 18-month trial by Devon County Council has created uproar in the normally genteel Devon city, with traffic barriers and no entry signs vandalised with spray paint.
A wooden planter placed in the road has been daubed with “1984” – a reference to George Orwell’s famous novel about a totalitarian government oppressing its citizens.
Wheelchair user Teegan Creed, 61, who suffers from severe lung problems and anxiety, said the restrictions have had a disastrous effect on her health including making her journey to hospital three times as long.
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She said: “This has been really bad for both my physical and mental health.
“If it’s raining I can’t leave the house, I can’t afford to drive because of the extra fuel.
“I am literally trapped in the house, I’m scared to leave in case I’m inhaling more fumes, we can’t go out for pleasure any more – we used to take the grandchildren to the park but we can’t get there any more because it’s just too far to travel in the car.
“The segregation is pitting communities against each other. You have the wall which separates Whipton from Heavitree, you have two completely different areas and Heavitree has access to hospitals, charity shops, everything, whereas Whipton has access to none of it.
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