Great Dunmow Town Council will not be “bulldozed” into making major decisions over traffic measures in the town – which could include the introduction of a one-way system.

Councillors are relaunching the Traffic Management Group to find out from residents exactly what changes they want to see in Great Dunmow, following a horror crash on North Street last month.

A working group had previously been set up to deal with the issues, but meetings came to a halt as councillors wanted to see whether the bypass, opened earlier this year following a 20-year wait, would alleviate the pressure on the town centre roads.

However, the crash on North Street, which saw a BMW career through a family home after smashing into a parked car, has renewed the urgency of the matter.

Councillor Trudi Hughes said: “The town is at an important point in its development. Traffic planning is the most fundamental cornerstone of town planning. If we get traffic wrong, everything else goes wrong.

“This is really important and needs to be carefully considered because whatever Essex County Council (ECC) decides, it is going to be permanent.”

Ideas for a one-way system through the centre and introducing traffic calming measures have been mooted in the past, but Great Dunmow town councillor Wendy Barron thinks it is important to get residents’ opinions before a solution is decided.

Speaking at the Great Dunmow full council meeting, she said: “We do not want to be bulldozed into something we do not want. We need the people of Dunmow to tell us what they want. We do not need someone telling us what we need.”

A date is yet to be set for the meeting but it will be open to members of the public and representatives from a number of authorities will be invited. It will act as a working party, reporting to he town council’s planning committee.

It will not have the power to impose decisions but will be able to put forward suggestions.

Andrew Flynn, who owns the North Street home, has welcomed the move. He told the Broadcast: “I certainly support this. Since the accident my mind has been a bit more focused on the road and the speed people travel.

“In the two weeks since, I cannot reiterate enough how fast people travel down North Street, especially during the day when there are no parked cars. A speed camera would be a good first step in terms of trying to slow people down.”