TURNING part of Newton Abbot's Queen Street into a traffic-free zone failed to win the backing of town councillors on Wednesday.

Members of the transportation committee held a straw poll to see who favoured pedestrianising the main street for 300 yards between the Courtenay Arms and the Britannia Building Society.

Five backed the idea, but nine voted against banning vehicles.

The pedestrianisation of Courtenay Street about 10 years ago caused widespread controversy at the time, though it has proved successful.

A recent parade by the Air Training Corps cadets – when the Corps was given the freedom of the town and during which Queen Street was cordoned off to traffic – that sparked talk of pedestrianisation.

Cllr Henry Cole said many people had said it was lovely to walk down the road when it was free of traffic.

Cllr Mike Hocking said that making part of Queen Street a traffic free zone should not be written off, and should be discussed fully.

'We should think about pedestrianising the top end of Queen Street, and talk to the traders.

'I don't think we should just chuck the idea away. Newton Abbot would benefit from it,' he said, inviting councillors to look at other towns that had found solutions to traffic problems.

'Look at Barnstaple. They shut their town centre to traffic between 10am-4pm,' said Cllr Hocking.

Cllr David Corney said the idea should not be put on the back burner.

'We should experiment and find out what the public and traders want,' he said.

Cllr Anne Fry was worried by the lack of trade at the end of Queen Street, with no 'anchor store' to draw people.

She said that if cars were no longer allowed to park in that part of Queen Street, there would be nothing to attract people to that area.

'We can talk about it as much as we like. There are too many cars on the road for the road structure.

'If it was pedestrianised we would be moving the problem, not solving it,' she claimed.

Newton Abbot mayor, Cllr Reg Wills, believed a survey should be conducted to find out about traffic patterns in the area.

The deputy mayor, Cllr Ken Lewis, said it would be a good idea to discuss the matter during the community plan meetings, the first of which is on July 7.

'It could go forward as a suggestion for the future, to see what people would prefer,' he said.