Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin visited Bradford on Avon today to take a closer look at the increasing traffic problems in the town.

Mr McLoughlin, who was invited by Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham Michelle Donelan, was given a grand tour of the historic market town on his first ever visit.

Mr McLoughlin said: “It is a beautiful town and we can all agree that there is traffic congestion.

“When these buildings were put here, the car hadn’t been invented and there hasn’t been the sort of improvements so we need to talk with what local councils about perhaps what some of the options are for the long term future sustainability.”

Mr McLoughlin said that by being able to visit, he has been given a broader understanding first hand of traffic problems such as pedestrian safety and was able to witness a lorry trying to navigate itself down Market Street.

He added: “There are other historic towns where traffic problems are being managed.

“What we have just witnessed with that lorry coming down here. It shouldn’t be coming down here at all and we have to think is the signage right to stop drivers. I understand that sometimes it can bring everything to a standstill.”

The MP said he was keen to address the many ideas put forward by concerned residents over the past few years including a one-way system or bypass which, he believes, will take a lot of time and money but is an option which needs to be explored.

Mr McLoughlin said: “As far as a one way system is concerned, that is a matter for Wiltshire Council to have a view on, they are the highway authority and I think they should certainly look at all the options and do proper studies as to whether they are feasible.

“A bypass would take some time to make sure an agreement is made and what takes time to get is planning, to make sure the land is available, so I’m careful to make any suggestion but I am certain that there has to be some solutions.”

It was more recently decided by residents in the town not to proceed with Historic Core Zone plans which would have aimed to readdress the balance of motorists and pedestrians.

Mr McLoughlin said the idea of shared space on roads is receiving more attention and, in some cases, is at centre of much debate.

He added: “Sometimes shared space is quite controversial because of disabled people and people who are blind. But there are a lot of options that should be looked at."

When asked about the importance of funding for community transport services such as the Royal United Hospital Hopper, which recently had its £130,000 funding removed from Wiltshire Council, Mr McLoughlin said he understands the pressures on public finances.

He added: “What we also need to do is to look at what are the important services for our community, how can we best serve our elderly population, how do we make sure there is transport to hospitals and using all the facilities whether it is community transport, local bus companies etc. Those are all areas we should be looking at and to see what is available in those challenges.”

Despite only spending the afternoon in Bradford, Mr McLoughlin was very impressed by the scenic views of the town and is very much looking forward to his next visit.

He said: “My own constituency is Derbyshire Dales and we have got some wonderful villages and towns in that but we haven’t got anything quite like this and we get huge amounts of visitors coming to our district but this is something else.”