After 3 years, I was beginning to wonder if the minor issue of traffic fumes at the Burger King Roundabout had been forgotten about. Well, there's 1500 houses at the racecourse, a new timberclad shopping complex in Park Way, 2000 houses at Sandleford on the way, and lots more traffic being pushed out of the town centre onto the A339.
But it now seems WBC is considering a range of options, including putting in traffic lights on the BK (or Gowrings if you prefer) roundabout; park and ride and other expensive options. As you would expect with a complex issue with life-threatening impact, they got some consultants in.
Here's a link to a rather crap report, which reveals that 3 years on they still have no idea, so they're just ticking boxes while our air pollution gets much worse.
So come on forumistas - they need our help. ||If you can't be bothered to read it....75% of the pollution is from moving traffic, and most of that traffic is lorries. Many of these are car transporters ferrying minis from Cowley to Southampton Docks. Others like to use the generous free overnight parking provided by WBC at Faraday Road.
Why on earth are car transporters going from Cowley to Southampton going via the Burger King (Adam & Eve) roundabout? Are their sat navs too old to have the bypass on them?
Why on earth are car transporters going from Cowley to Southampton going via the Burger King (Adam & Eve) roundabout? Are their sat navs too old to have the bypass on them?
I think he might have made a mistake.
Certainly it's not my perception that "Many of these (vehicles on the A339) are car transporters".
After 3 years, I was beginning to wonder if the minor issue of traffic fumes at the Burger King Roundabout had been forgotten about. Well, there's 1500 houses at the racecourse, a new timberclad shopping complex in Park Way, 2000 houses at Sandleford on the way, and lots more traffic being pushed out of the town centre onto the A339.
I don't know about the traffic fumes at the 'Burger King roundabout' being such a problem, it's the rank smell of burgers being cremated that's a far stronger invasion of my nostrils whenever I happen to walk past there.....
But if you do think that smog is going to permanently envelop Newbury because of all the HGVs belching out soot as their lost drivers crawl through the town, don't panic...... By the time the 2,000 homes are built in Sandleford, fuel prices will be around £1.80 per litre (£8.18 per gallon) and traffic volume will start to fall as a consequence. A measurable fall in pollution level will then shortly follow.......... Everyone apart from the super-rich will be forced to use bikes....
And if you want to pick up a bike or get a puncture repair kit you'll perhaps end up the 'Burger King roundabout' and STILL have that smell of cremated burgers to look forward to....
And what's the bit about car transporters homing in on Newbury? Is there car storage depot at Greenham Park?
I would guess that most of the HGV traffic is using the A339 shortcut to the M3. There's little/nothing that can be done to stop this, I imagine.
That's a bit defeatist. Perhaps we can do it quite cheaply.
1. WBC could negotiate with the sat nav providers to re-route to the bypass. 2. Remove the lorry ban on Crookham Hill so the Thatcham depot lorries can get to the M3 without coming through Newbury. This would also be useful for the couriers in Hambridge. 3. Introduce a £100 toll for 40t and over, but keep it free on the bypass.
If you are travelling southbound on the A34 you will find that on the signs, you are directed onto the Newbury Bypass for Basingstoke. This then takes you down to Bullington Cross and then onto the A303 for Basingstoke. Shame the satnavs could not also be programmed for this route.
Just checked with Google maps, that adds 16 miles to the journey.
I hear that the residents of Mill Lane are banging the drum again to get all HGVs banned from using that road to access the industrial estate. If they get their way (and they seem to have their friendly local Councillor on board so they are quite hopeful) HGVs wanting to access any of the businesses on Bone Lane, Hambridge Road etc from the south or west approach will be directed up to the Robin Hood roundabout, along the A4 up to the Hambridge Road lights, then down into the estate from the other end.... Adding 'only' about 3 additional miles to their journey and adding to the pollution along the A4 and further pollution on the A339 at the 'KFC roundabout'.
I'm sure the haulage firms or businesses in the area will oppose this but whose opinion holds sway? It's hardly 'Cleaner Greener' to force additional miles onto HGV road journeys. They need to start cracking on and get that road open through the Stirling estate....
I hear that the residents of Mill Lane are banging the drum again to get all HGVs banned from using that road to access the industrial estate. If they get their way (and they seem to have their friendly local Councillor on board so they are quite hopeful) HGVs wanting to access any of the businesses on Bone Lane, Hambridge Road etc from the south or west approach will be directed up to the Robin Hood roundabout, along the A4 up to the Hambridge Road lights, then down into the estate from the other end.... Adding 'only' about 3 additional miles to their journey and adding to the pollution along the A4 and further pollution on the A339 at the 'KFC roundabout'.
I'm sure the haulage firms or businesses in the area will oppose this but whose opinion holds sway? It's hardly 'Cleaner Greener' to force additional miles onto HGV road journeys. They need to start cracking on and get that road open through the Stirling estate....
The opportunity for the Sterling Estate Road was lost because of the objections to the site owner's planning application. There was an appeal but that has now been withdrawn according to the local paper. That will have put back that solution by a year I would suspect.
Back on the Burger King Roundabaout, the problem there is the two roundabouts, that one and the Sainsbury one. I have read through all the nonsense at what sounded like a very expensive workshop when there was discussion on cycle lanes and park and ride without tackling the real problem. The first problem, Southbound, is the fact that all vehicles have to slow down to negotiate the roundabout and then to continue southbound have to drop to low gear and then accelerate hard off the roundabout to get the impetus going to get up the hill. The second, northbound, traffic is held by vehicles running round the roundabout into St Johns Road and by the continual back up from the Sainsbury roundabout.
So, what to do. The roundabout has to go and the southbound traffic must have a straight unimpeded run up the hill with no right turn to St Johns Road. Traffic to Pyle Hill and St Johns is filtered off to the left further back and this would leave two lanes to continue up the hill. The upward slope needs to be started further back as then, like at the Robin Hood, traffic for St Johns can turn right and pass underneath. Starting the run up further back has an added bonus as the slope is flattened less throttle is needed by the big lorries which in the report are now HDV's. In my day they were HGV's why the consultants needed this new initialisation one can only guess. Traffic from St Johns to go across towards Queens Rd can be dealt with by traffic lights on the eastern side of the new underpass.
For goodness sake sort out the traffic flow across the Sainsbury roundabout. I know that is not where the pollution problem is but it doesn't help when cars and lorries are queing down the A339 northbound because the bias is for pedestrians crossing the A339 when there is a perfectly good underpass. Make that underpass safe, bright and welcoming and people might use it more as a route from Kings Road and that area to the town.
I am not a highways engineer and suspect that there would be some loss of the car park in front of Halfords but if half of Northbrook street can be requisitioned for a private developer, that car park should present few problems.
Anyway, a pipe dream so just paint some green stripes on the road for the cyclists, that'll do the trick.
The opportunity for the Sterling Estate Road was lost because of the objections to the site owner's planning application. There was an appeal but that has now been withdrawn according to the local paper. That will have put back that solution by a year I would suspect.
Back on the Burger King Roundabaout, the problem there is the two roundabouts, that one and the Sainsbury one. I have read through all the nonsense at what sounded like a very expensive workshop when there was discussion on cycle lanes and park and ride without tackling the real problem. The first problem, Southbound, is the fact that all vehicles have to slow down to negotiate the roundabout and then to continue southbound have to drop to low gear and then accelerate hard off the roundabout to get the impetus going to get up the hill. The second, northbound, traffic is held by vehicles running round the roundabout into St Johns Road and by the continual back up from the Sainsbury roundabout.
So, what to do. The roundabout has to go and the southbound traffic must have a straight unimpeded run up the hill with no right turn to St Johns Road. Traffic to Pyle Hill and St Johns is filtered off to the left further back and this would leave two lanes to continue up the hill. The upward slope needs to be started further back as then, like at the Robin Hood, traffic for St Johns can turn right and pass underneath. Starting the run up further back has an added bonus as the slope is flattened less throttle is needed by the big lorries which in the report are now HDV's. In my day they were HGV's why the consultants needed this new initialisation one can only guess. Traffic from St Johns to go across towards Queens Rd can be dealt with by traffic lights on the eastern side of the new underpass.
For goodness sake sort out the traffic flow across the Sainsbury roundabout. I know that is not where the pollution problem is but it doesn't help when cars and lorries are queing down the A339 northbound because the bias is for pedestrians crossing the A339 when there is a perfectly good underpass. Make that underpass safe, bright and welcoming and people might use it more as a route from Kings Road and that area to the town.
I am not a highways engineer and suspect that there would be some loss of the car park in front of Halfords but if half of Northbrook street can be requisitioned for a private developer, that car park should present few problems.
Anyway, a pipe dream so just paint some green stripes on the road for the cyclists, that'll do the trick.
Making pedestrians use the subway would not alleviate the problem. The lights would need to change the same as they do now to let traffic out of Kings Road and Wharf Street. Could you give your proposals for making any underpass safe? All three, (Burger King, Sainsbury and Robin Hood) are reasonably lit, graffiti is removed on a regular basis and they are cleaned and painted. Despite this there have been several muggings this year in all the underpasses.
Male
Logged
