Roundabout Trial for Busy Weston-super-Mare Road

A trial road scheme to improve traffic flows on a busy Weston-super-Mare road will be installed next week.

Traffic lights at the junction of Searle Crescent and Phillips Road (near Waitrose) will be replaced with a mini-roundabout to see if it helps stop queuing on the Herluin Way dual carriageway and improves access to and from two major supermarkets during the run up to Christmas.

The move will initially be a trial, from the end of November until January, and users of Herluin Way and the new junction will be asked if the change is helpful.

If the feedback is positive, the roundabout will become permanent. 

Elfan Ap Rees, executive member responsible for highways said: "This junction has long been a problem during busy shopping periods and we are now finding that the congestion is affecting Herluin Way, especially for traffic heading into Weston.

"This is because the lights at the Searle Crescent and Phillips Road junction cause vehicles to back up.

"The mini-roundabout at this junction should solve this problem as it will give better access to the commercial and industrial estate.

"We decided to go ahead and do the trial as it is the most cost effective way to find out if the roundabout will improve traffic for the whole area. "Another option would have been computer modelling.

"However, this would have cost several times more than installing the roundabout.

"This way we can find out if the junction is effective over Christmas, one of the busiest times of year, we can collect data to see if it is working, and we can get feedback from the people who travel around the area."

 

The roundabout will be installed by North Somerset Council contractors Balfour Beatty Workplace during the week of November 29 at a cost of around £2,000.

If successful local businesses will be asked to contribute towards a permanent scheme which will see many times the cost being saved in reduced congestion and economic benefits for the area.

 

Anyone using Herluin Way or the mini-roundabout is asked to log onto www.n-somerset.gov.uk/rab and fill in the questionnaire which will be available as soon as the changes are made. Feedback can also be given by telephoning 01934 888802.