TRANSPORT chiefs have revealed the projects which will be tested by the long-awaited Evesham traffic model in a bid to cut congestion for long-suffering motorists in the heart of the town.
Worcestershire County Council revealed the projects to be taken forward in the £100,000 study after an 18 month wait which saw a total of 24 projects examined by transport bosses to assess whether they should be taken further.
Options to ease traffic on the often congested junction of the Abbey Bridge and Cheltenham Road will be looked at but transport bosses have already ruled out replacing the junction with a roundabout because of costs and the need to acquire extra land.
A proposal to add a right turn only lane from Cheltenham Road onto Waterside has also been dismissed as the ‘cost would far exceed the benefit’, according to the county council.
Council chiefs will also look at the possibility of improving the traffic lights at the Swan Lane, High Street and Avon Street junction by making Avon Street one-way heading away from the High Street.
If possible, the move will mean no traffic will be waiting on Avon Street to join the High Street and therefore decrease waiting time for the remaining roads which could ease congestion on Greenhill at its junction with Worcester Road.
Transport chiefs also hope to upgrade the traffic lights on the Cheltenham Road at the busy junction with Davies Road but ruled out converting the junction to a roundabout because of the need for more land and the impact on students using the crossing to reach Evesham College.
A 20mph limit in the town centre and throughout the town was ruled out as was a new roundabout on the Worcester Road at the entrance to Tesco with county council chiefs highlighting the need to buy land and the potential impact of construction works.
Traffic lights could be updated on Port Street at its junction with Waterside and Bridge Street according to the proposals which dismissed several different suggestions for altering the traffic flow in the town centre on roads such as Mill Street, Chapel Street and Oat Street.
Among the proposals rejected for further examination was to stop shoppers turning right into Lidl on Port Street.
“On its own, this would not improve traffic flow since those heading east on Port Street wishing to access Lidl would be forced to ‘u-turn’ at the nearby roundabout, adding extra unnecessary vehicle movements to that junction,” the report claimed.
All parking-related matters will be considered as part of the seperate Evesham parking strategy to be compiled at a later date.
Dr Ken Pollock, cabinet member for Economy and Infrastructure, said: “We take very seriously the effect congestion has on everyone who lives or works in Evesham and that is why we are working through a methodical plan.
“We understand people’s frustrations but it is clear there aren’t any easy or quick answers. In common with much of the UK, travel demand has kept on growing in Evesham but the constrained nature of the town’s road network makes the impact of this rising demand particularly keenly felt.”
* What do you think? E-mail [email protected] with your views
