Timing worries over new lights switch-on

CONCERNS have been raised about the timings of the traffic lights on Portishead's motorway junction after the new signals caused traffic to back up nearly a mile on the M5.

Travellers trying to get on to the roundabout from the southbound carriageway of the motorway to travel into Portishead found the traffic was queuing back in the slow lane to the middle of the Avonmouth Bridge.

The lanes on the slip road taking traffic from the roundabout into Gordano Services and along the A369 were clear, with the Portishead lane taking the majority of the traffic.

Motorist Steve Shearer, 37, was caught in the traffic returning from work at about 4.30pm on Wednesday.

Mr Shearer, a delivery driver, said: "I was travelling back along the M5 when the traffic in the slow lane on the Avonmouth Bridge started to come to a halt. The traffic was very stop-start and initially I thought there may have been an accident and that was causing the hold-ups.

"But as I neared the Portishead junction I could see it was traffic trying to get up onto the roundabout that was causing the tailbacks.

"The lanes to get to the services and the A369 were pretty clear, but the traffic was backing up in the lane taking people on to the roundabout in Portishead. Although I can see that the new lights are easing the flow of traffic on to the A369 and from Portishead on to the motorway I was concerned that cars were backing up in the slow lane of the motorway.

"Perhaps the lights need to be tweaked as although they seem to have helped the traffic flow out of Portishead, there seem to be issues getting off the motorway and on to the roundabout and into the town."

Initial tests on the £3 million scheme to ease traffic queues at the junction of the A369 and along the Portbury Hundred suggest the new system is working well.

As part of the scheme, six sets of traffic lights have been put on the approaches to the junction and on the roundabout itself.

Testing has been carried out and will continue for the next three weeks until the scheme officially goes live early in April.

North Somerset Council is responsible for the local road network while the Highways Agency is responsible for the motorways

Portbury Parish Council chairman Pete Cooke said: "Generally the feeling is that the traffic flow around the roundabout is much better. The new system is still in its infancy and will take a short while to optimise the signals to the traffic levels."

North Somerset Council spokesman Nick Yates said: "We have worked closely with the Highways Agency over the phasing of the traffic lights on the roundabout at junction 19.."

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