‘Small’ problems are being overlooked in the multi-million-pound update of the St Mary’s roundabout in Newport, says the ward councillor.
The roundabout-turned-junction is set to be finished by the end of the year, according to the Isle of Wight Council, but residents in the area say they are noticing the small issues, seemingly overlooked by the project’s designers.
One, in particular, includes vehicles being unable to exit Hampshire Crescent, onto Forest Road, as vehicles are either stopped across the junction or the visibility for vehicles pulling out is challenging.
Ward representative for Parkhurst, Councillor Andrew Garratt, said residents have told him of the stresses and hazards this has caused, which he raised with Councillor Ian Ward, the cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, who did say signage would be put up to stop cars stopping over the junction. No signage has been put in place yet.
He said:
“I cannot imagine in an £6 million project the cost of some paint and whatever legal licences need to put a keep clear area there would add much to the cost.
“It is that sort of thing which I am struggling to get the council to respond to — these are small things, in their view, which are big things to residents. The hundreds of people who live on the estate who have poor visibility coming out of the road.
“The residents have had to put up with a lot — the Forest Road closure and having to drive around the houses to get home. It does alarm me.”
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Other issues raised include a car driving through the red light at the new crossing on Forest Road and poles in the pavement on the side of the junction near to St Mary’s Hospital which leaves little room for a pedestrian and wheelchair user to pass, leaving questions being raised as to why another option wasn’t considered.
Cllr Garratt has put a number of issues, including the continued problems with congestion, to Cllr Ward, hoping to get the smaller problems noticed and rectified.
Cllr Ward has previously said he had only received one complaint directly to him as a result of the changes to the roundabout, despite Island Roads directing complaints to him.
Small problems? How about the massive bureaucrat driven traffic nightmare this so-called improvement has created, not just in rush hour but at all hours across the day and night – as if normal folk hasn’t already predicted such an outcome from a million miles away
Small problems ! Traffic backed up all the way to cowes every night is hardly small .some improvement .it’s ten times worse .still the councill got their fat brown envelopes .that’s all that matters .
This is going to be like the floating bridge.
Only 1 complaint directed to him.. hmm, wonders where all the others went?
Please put answers in the rubbish bin.
Desk drivers strike again.
I would like to know why all the new bit of tarmac that was the roundabout is now being all dig up only to be put down again and bits that have been resurfaced and bits in the middle are left old road
Love the play on words ‘Ward Councillor’ as opposed to Councillor Ward!
Deja vu? Floaty St Marys roundabout thingie in the offing I suspect. Let us ALL remember this article in 18 months when the true disaster is revealed and the Council go into meltdown for a day or two before blaming the designers etc.
Tailbacks could be reduced if drivers filling the wasted road space in the closed lane were not forced out by other motorists. Give and take. We’re all on the same side.
How about the fact that you can’t leave St Marys Hospital and go to Cowes.
You never could come out of hosp and go to Vowed without going round the roundabout
How about the fact that you cant come from Cowes and go to the hospital, often for most of the day – traffic backed up to Northwood garage junction.
This group of councillors have proved themselvs totally incompetent they should be held to account
Once again we have another misuse of our money by incompetent members of the council.
Anybody can see with the volume of traffic using the roundabout there is going to be huge tailbacks with the traffic lights. I still do not understand why they did this as there was no problem.
Or am i missing something?
Let’s stop paying council tax. You know its an illegal theft of our own money right!? No contract no invoice can’t take Jack! If we all actually stood together for once rather than just going online to moan then the council couldn’t do anything!!