I have written to the Roads Minister to obtain road traffic planning and management support given the unfolding chaos in North Devon with multiple, uncoordinated, poorly designed, long term roadworks. Outside help to look at what is happening across North Devon but Barnstaple in particular. I wrote:
“Barnstaple was once referred to as ‘The home of the traffic jam’ and indeed, this was a popular bumper sticker in the 90’s.”
Little did I know that this was not a reference to the past but a portent of what was to come.
It is very difficult to hear, that whilst commuters and businesses alike are suffering, even if they are radically changing their travel plans to take into account the traffic lights at Cedars Roundabout, we now have many weeks of traffic lights and night closures on the A361 between Aller Cross and the new Landkey roundabout. On top of that we have temporary works and traffic lights on the Bishop’s Tawton roundabout.
I know all of these schemes have to be done but the organisation and timing of these projects is just appalling. Griffiths, the primary contractors for the Link Road upgrades have to get on with what they are doing. We could not have the closures over Easter or into the summer but the other projects, particularly at Cedars would have been aware of the plans for the A361.
Too many decisions about our road network are taken 65 miles away in Exeter, by people who are not sitting in the jams. Indeed, the public consultation on the Cedars project took place during lockdown, for me summarises the poor planning in getting to this point.
I feel everyone’s frustration and am equally annoyed with where we are, indeed I sat in the Cedars jam that was right round the A39 roundabout on Friday afternoon. I have significantly more understanding of the pain from these roadworks, than most of the people that have imposed them on us. But I also ask everyone to have a little understanding and patience. We will be driving past many people engaged in the traffic management or doing the work itself. Our delayed journeys are not their fault. It is no single person’s fault as such, but a culmination of decisions made, and however dispiriting the delays will be, we will hopefully be better off after this spate of work has ended.
The reason I wrote to the Roads Minister was that we apparently cannot stop what has started, and I am concerned about the final plans, given the quality of traffic planning that has gone into the current disruption. We must do better as and when the Link Road upgrades are completed, we must look to the next major project to help ensure that Barnstaple never again becomes the home of the traffic jam.
