Air Balloon roundabout plans 'will not improve traffic flow or pollution'

“It seems the main problem is coming up the hill not going down.
If you cannot turn right for Leckhampton and Seven Springs coming from Cirencester cars will just drive down the hill to the Shurdington Road and come back up the hill increasing traffic and pollution.
Its only very busy at rush hour anyway the rest of the time traffic moves okay.
I will feel sorry for residents in Shurdington and Cirencester Road Charlton Kings as traffic will increase by a hugh amount. Also the neighbouring villages of Elksone and Cowley will become rat runs.
Seems a crazy idea that has not been thought through.”

“The single biggest issue at this roundabout is the heavy slow moving traffic coming up the hill from Gloucester. Stopping this traffic causes problems. If traffic was prevented from taking anything but the first exit then this problem would be alleviated. It may not be the favoured option for those affected but it may, JUST MAY, be a solution.
Give it a go and see if it works.”

“If Cheltenham-bound traffic is forced by this modification to use the A436 (which would be the obvious thing to do) there would be a bottleneck at Stratton, near the shops, where the road width is reduced to little more than a single lane by roadside parking. Would they stop people (including residents) parking there?”

“NibNobs - "mountainous"??? What are you on? They're called the Cotswold Hills, not mountains! And I didn't say it was easy, just sensible!”

“I always thought the best compromise would be to have a large roundabout at the Birdlip turn. With the amount of serous accidents it needs one!. Traffic coming from the Seven springs direction and wishing to go down Crickely hill would have to go up the hill to the roundabout and back down with no need to give way to travel down Crickley Hill at the Air balloon. Also traffic coming from Severn springs could filter back into the traffic flow coming up Crickley hill by adding a long filter lane up the hill to the new roundabout. In theory the Air Balloon would no longer be a roundabout.”

“sorry got that a little wrong - its actually a left turn only sign as you used to be able to either go straight over the A38 or turn right on to it. It was done many years ago and idiots still turn right or go straight over it despite road markings and police monitoring.”

“we have a no right turn junction in our village and the idiots still turn right!”

“Please get it right, TiG.

"Gloucestershire Highways Agency is considering introducing..." No, it's THE Highways Agency, in their nice cosy offices in central London (or possibly their Bristol or Birmingham offices). The madness that this proposal is has not been dreamt up locally.

The Local Authority see it is a daft idea, as do the local community leaders. What it now needs is the local MP to pay the HA a visit and tell them in no uncertain terms that this suggested scheme - even as a trial period - is not the answer, and will just move the congestion and pollution elsewhere.

How many times, and by how many people, will the HA need to be told this before they realize it for themselves, I wonder???”

“Is it the Gloucestershire Highway Agency that is responsible for the traffic lights by the Brewery in Cheltenham? Now the lights are back on, the traffic has gone back to heavy congestion. I must say, it does raise questions on the competency of this department.”

“Beegeeuk, don't you think if that could have been easily done they would have done it by now - it's called mountainous, cannot be done!

Move the Air Balloon pub brick by brick to somewhere else so a two lane filter lane can be created for the majority of the traffic which wants to turn left from the Cirencester direction to Gloucester. Cheapest, easiest 'non-tunnel' solution.”