Controversial plans to make some streets one-way and to close some roads to traffic in one Kent town have been dropped after public opposition.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) administration had planned to shut swathes of the town off to vehicles and make some roads one-way or bus-only under its Better Streets programme.

At the latest meeting of the authority’s full council, Cllr Rob Wormington (Lib Dem), cabinet member for environment and sustainability, explained that the administration was dropping the more controversial plans due to public opposition.

“We are pleased with the high level of responses to the engagement,” he told the meeting.

“People were very clear in their feedback and we are not going to progress anything that did not have public support – which for this project means the concept designs that would have altered the way roads could be accessed by vehicles.

“We are excited to continue to progress the ideas that were supported, like additional pedestrian crossings and lower speed limits on residential roads.”

The proposals would have covered both the St James’ and St John’s areas, stretching from near Southborough C of E primary school in the north to near Tunbridge Wells train station in the south.

The full results of the public consultation have not been released but council documents detail the plans to reduce the speed limit to 20mph “where feasible” across the whole area.

More than 1,800 people responded to the consultation, according to TWBC.

Intended to alleviate parking and traffic issues in St James’ and St John’s, many feared the plans would end up pushing traffic out onto other already-busy roads like the A264 Pembury Road and the A26 London Road.

Cllr David Hayward (Ind for Tunbridge Wells), who represents Pembury, said the plans were “Ridiculous from the outset – a lot of people including myself said ‘what on earth are they smoking?’

“The way they put this all together, there was only one place for all the traffic to go and that’s on the arterial roads like St John’s Road and Pembury Road.

“Their idea was to stop rat-running through the middle of town but the problem is that those roads are already over capacity and they’re gridlocked half the time.”

TWBC was given £50,000 from Kent County Council and Active Travel England to consult people on the plans.

The authority had argued that the restrictions would encourage people to walk, bike, or use buses more frequently.

But Cllr Hayward begged to differ, arguing: “You can’t rely on bus services because they’re stuck in traffic too.”

A cyclist himself, he added: “I have to go to Capel. The only way I can is by using a car – there is no other way.

“I would cycle if it was flat and if I didn’t think I was going to get killed on the hill.

“Without infrastructure, it’s all very well talking about getting people out of cars, but if you haven’t got any other means of getting anywhere quite frankly it’s delusional.”

TWBC plans showed that it was considering “traffic reduction” and “traffic calming measures” across streets including St James’ Road, Camden Road, Ferndale, King George Hill, and Beulah Road.

Also set for possible restrictions were Wilman Road, Powder Mill Lane, Woodbury Park Road, Mereworth Road and Stephen’s Road.

Cllr Vic Jones (Lab), leader of the council’s Labour group, was also critical of the plans.

She told the meeting on December 11: “We received a lot of comments from residents who were really concerned about the proposals.

“I think there were significant concerns about accessibility impact for people with disabilities or caring responsibilities.”

She also stressed the “lack of consultation” outside of St James’ and St John’s wards, despite the proposals being likely to affect the entire town.

Cllr Jones continued: “If you look at some of the streets in our town they are really busy streets on routes where children are going to school - so there are legitimate concerns about how we make sure people are safe.

“I also think the environmental impact is something we should consider.

“Investment in transport is absolutely crucial for all this as part of our drive towards the green agenda as well, and I think that was lacking here.

“I can see why residents had significant concerns about what this proposal would look like and the impact it would have had on streets across the town.”

A TWBC spokesperson did not confirm which popular parts of the proposals may end up being taken forward, but its website says measures such as “new 20mph speed limits, new lighting, and new pedestrian crossings, were welcomed”.

A report summarising the findings will go to TWBC’s Joint Transportation Board with the county council on January 13.