Bath and North East Somerset Council has agreed to look again at what action could be taken to reduce the speed of vehicles around an accident blackspot.
The A367/Bath Road junction, at the southern-end of Peasedown St John, has seen a number of accidents over the last ten years, but despite a persistent decade-long campaign, council leaders have refused to take action.
Following the publication of a council report in March this year, which included the results of a £30,000 Feasibility Study, council transport chiefs said that no action would be taken to invest in further safety measures, such as a publicly-backed roundabout, because “the cost of building such a structure and the disruption to traffic during construction far outweigh the traffic and safety necessities.”
Last week, Peasedown St John’s community leaders Cllr Karen Walker and Cllr Sarah Bevan met with the Cabinet Member for Transport Cllr Tony Clarke and council officers to discuss the council’s lack of action.
Cllr Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown) said: “For over a decade the community of Peasedown St John has called for further safety measures to be implemented at the Bath Road/A367 junction at the southern end of the village.
“After ten years of waiting to receive the answer from B&NES Council that we did in March, that no action would be taken, was hugely disappointing.
“This wasn’t the result, or the closure on this issue, that any of us wanted.”
Following extensive and continual lobbying from Karen and Sarah, an agreement was reached at last week’s meeting that a further survey to address the ‘inaccuracies’ of March’s report would be undertaken.
Cllr Sarah Bevan (Independent, Peasedown) added: “Some of the report’s conclusions are based on questionable data, including vehicle queueing times and numbers of vehicles in those queues. Some serious accidents over five years definitely warrant further investigation.
“I’m encouraged by officers’ and the cabinet member’s agreement on this after Karen and I put our misgivings to them last week, and look forward to an enhanced report, especially on the confusing signage for speed restrictions at, and on both approaches to, this junction.”
On Wednesday 25th May, Cllrs Karen Walker and Sarah Bevan met with Cllr Anthony Clarke (Cabinet Member for transport), Tom Hayward (Capital Programme manager), Steve Froggatt (Design and Delivery) and Gary Peacock subbing for Kelvin Packer (Highway’s Manager).
An agreement reached at the meeting was that a further survey will be carried out at this junction to check the consistency, clarity and frequency of 50 mph enforceable speed roundels along the length of this section of the A367 starting at the Prince of Wales roundabout and finishing after the junction under investigation.