We need a ring road Options

[Ziggy]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=14945

Now I have no particular qualifications or expertise in town planning, but is this not rather shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted? Ever since I have lived in the area, new housing and retail developments have been given the go-ahead with seemingly no strategic thinking whatsoever about roads or other infrastructure.

[Ben01635]

Didn't we have a ring road built around Newbury about 10 years ago..... I think it was called the Newbury Bypass!!!!

While no one can dispute that it helped alleviate the traffic at the time, as pointed out by protesters at the time; in 10 years it will be just as bad again! and here we are! - Well in fairness it's not as bad; 12 years ago I was travelling from Warwickshire to Burghclere at weekends and it used to take me 45 minutes to get to the Robin Hood roundabout and a further 45 minutes to get to Burghclere, so it's no where near as bad, but certainly traffic flow through Newbury is a MAJOR problem.

With the bypass built I cannot think of where you would build a ring road that would be easily accessible from both sides of the town without drivers having to go out of their way to get to it, otherwise no one will use it.

The problem I feel stems from the two roundabouts at the Police station and Burger King, if these could somehow be adjusted to either have a slip road off and on or a fly over so that through traffic could continue without stopping then almost all the traffic issues would be resolved. How you would find the space for this though I don't know!

[blackdog]

Didn't we have a ring road built around Newbury about 10 years ago..... I think it was called the Newbury Bypass!!!!

The bypass took the A34 through traffic out of town - and is still providing a huge improvement. The choice of the western route meant that lots of traffic to and from the A34 and Thatcham or from the Chieveley junction to and from Basingstoke still comes through town.

Complete the ring with an eastern road and a lot more traffic would be taken out of town - especially if there was an exit for the racecourse.

[Biker1]

The bypass took the A34 through traffic out of town - and is still providing a huge improvement. The choice of the western route meant that lots of traffic to and from the A34 and Thatcham or from the Chieveley junction to and from Basingstoke still comes through town.

Yep, it was built on the WRONG (but cheapest financially) route.

[dannyboy]

Yep, it was built on the WRONG (but cheapest financially) route.

It may have been the cheapest route financially, but it was also less expensive in many other ways.

[Biker1]

It may have been the cheapest route financially, but it was also less expensive in many other ways.

But DIDN'T solve Newbury's traffic problems!

(I will leave it there - no point in a belated by-pass debate!)

[dannyboy]

But DIDN'T solve Newbury's traffic problems!

(I will leave it there - no point in a belated by-pass debate!)

It never could. The problem is people driving into Newbury.

The A34 is part of TERN - the bypass would have been built regardless of what Rendell claims.

[Biker1]

The problem is people driving into Newbury.

AND people and lorries getting from the A339 Basingstoke Road to the A34 / M4.

[dannyboy]

AND people and lorries getting from the A339 Basingstoke Road to the A34 / M4.

Well if they won't follow the road signs...

Wbhilst the Eastern route would have been better on paper the logistics of actually building it pervented such as scheme ever seriously being considered.

[Biker1]

Well if they won't follow the road signs...

That's right - they don't - they take the shortest route.

[dannyboy]

That's right - they don't - they take the shortest route.

So a ring road would be a waste of time then.....