Stratton residents want solution for Hobley Drive junction

Swindon Borough Council has been called upon to take action to stop drivers blocking the junction between Hobley Drive and Swindon Road.

Motorists trying to come out of Swindon Road and turn right into Hobley Drive have complained that they often struggle due to the traffic coming down Swindon Road from Greenbridge blocking the exit.

And following a number of complaints presented to him, Stratton parish councillor Barrie Jennings has demanded the borough take action.

Barrie said: “The volume of traffic has grown massively over the last decade. I have serious concerns about this particular junction. At peak times if you are unfortunate enough to be trying to come out from Swindon Road and turn right at the lights across onto Hobley Drive, you simply cannot.

“There are long and slow moving traffic queues coming up Swindon Road from Greenbridge at peak times and when the traffic lights change they block access to Hobley Drive for traffic turning right out of the residual bit of Swindon Road into Hobley Drive.”

The solution, according to Barrie, is to for the council to insert a keep clear box at the traffic lights.

This style of traffic management, he said, is used to great effect at other busy junctions across Swindon.

“A hatched box would allow traffic to join the queue on the green light. At the moment, you can sit at a green light waiting for a gap to appear and the lights have turned red by the time a gap appears. It’s very frustrating for motorists.”

In response, Coun David Renard, the Conservative leader of Swindon Borough Council, said he would look into finding a solution.

He said: “I have spoken with many Stratton residents during this election and the issue has not been raised with me.

“But I am happy to ask officers to assess the flows of traffic at this junction at peak times for them to make recommendations on any appropriate measures.”

It is one of many traffic concerns raised by Stratton residents in recent weeks.