Cheltenham Brewery trial traffic light switch off postponed
THE trial switch-off of traffic lights in one of Cheltenham's busiest roads has been postponed.
This week's collapse of a sewer on a stretch of Bath Road at the end of the High Street has forced highways bosses to push back their three week trial on St Margaret's Road.
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Brewery traffic lights
The big switch-off has been moved to avoid the large numbers of diverted vehicles having an impact on the test results. The trial was due to begin on Monday, but the start date will now depend on how quickly Bath Road reopens.
Gloucestershire Highways is hoping it can be as soon as the start of next month. A spokeswoman for the authority said: "Gloucestershire Highways has taken the decision to postpone the start of the trial to avoid any impact of the Bath Road closure.
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"We will monitor the situation next week and all being well the trial should now start on Monday, November 5.
"Any signs posted in the area of St Margaret's Street will be amended to reflect the new dates."
The idea behind the traffic lights being switched off is to see if they are more of a hindrance than a help in trying to alleviate congestion.
Drivers have been left frustrated by delays caused by the often baffling lights system.
Two similar trials were put off in the past because of concerns over pedestrian safety, particularly of those people trying to cross the road to get to and from The Brewery.
A temporary pedestrian crossing will be installed between the Brewery and NCP car park during the trial and extra traffic islands will be put in place to ensure people can still cross the busy stretch of road.
Meanwhile, Monson Avenue and the junction at Henrietta and Dunalley streets will also be affected by the eventual switch off.
The work to repair the sewer in Bath Road is expected to take a total of two weeks.
The road is shut at the junction with the High Street as workmen from Severn Trent look to fix the issue which caused the road to collapse.
The section in Bath Road was closed for seven weeks from the beginning of July this year as the firm tried to fix a blocked sewer pipe. The water company has said it is unsure whether or not the latest problem is related to the previous work.
The closure has meant motorists have had to try and navigate the town's one way system to try and get to the Leckhampton side of Cheltenham.
Road closure will cost us thousands, P9
Comments
by Alfredo_
Sunday, October 28 2012, 7:54PM
“@spooknost - unfortunately, pedestrians and drivers can be stupid.”
by Ms_Superstar
Sunday, October 28 2012, 12:26PM
“The sewer collapse should have brought this forward not postponed it. Traffic lights are energy inefficient, and are an excuse for poor planning. Many road users ignore them anyway.
In some countries, where traffic lights are installed, they all switch to flashing amber at night, allowing vehicle users and pedestrians to sort themselves out, whch they seem to do perfectly well. Left to their own devices, people are not going to put themselves deliberately at risk of collision.”
by cheltenham20
Saturday, October 27 2012, 9:48AM
“Are these people for real. these lights should never have been turned on in the first place, and while they are at it it would be a good idea to turn all the lights on Tewkesbury road off, including the stupid set up on the Lizzie way roundabout.... Gloucestrshire highways muppets are in a world of there own...”
by cheltenham20
Saturday, October 27 2012, 9:48AM
“Are these people for real. these lights should never have been turned on in the first place, and while they are at it it would be a good idea to turn all the lights on Tewkesbury road off, including the stupid set up on the Lizzie way roundabout.... Gloucestrshire highways muppets are in a world of there own...”
by spooknost
Saturday, October 27 2012, 9:07AM
“I do not remember all this monitoring and assessing impact nonsense when they turned the lights on in the first place. Just turn them off. Pedestrians and drivers are NOT stupid. Of course if we did not 'manage' traffic we wouldn't need traffic managers. Now. that's a thought.”