A town council in Wiltshire has voiced its concerns over the poor management of roadworks which could ‘create hours of misery’.
Roadworks have been a hot topic in Marlborough after Wiltshire Council announced it would carry out eight-week-long roadworks in September on Salisbury Road to install a new toucan crossing and pedestrian footpath.
Extra confusion occurred when it was revealed the works currently underway are only for the path, while the toucan crossing is still actually under a 'shortened time frame' consultation.
The eight weeks of disruption, on top of five other roadworks planned for Marlborough over the next fortnight, has raised serious concerns over whether the town can cope.
"Marlborough is rapidly becoming a 'no go' zone for all those who live in nearby villages because of the roadworks," said Andrew Mallinson, taking to social media.
"It's such a shame and will have a massive impact on Marlborough businesses."
Marlborough Town Council has now agreed to write to Wiltshire Council regarding the management of roadworks after raising concerns of its own.
Town mayor Kym-Marie Cleasby says she has already written to Wiltshire Council about the knock-on impact the Salisbury Road works could have on schools, where delays would mean hot meals to 18 primary schools might not be delivered on time.
“The manner in which these works had been conducted has caused significant disruption and raised serious concerns for residents and businesses,” the council stated in its planning meeting minutes.
“Examples include the premature setup and temporary traffic lights 24 hours before anything happened and inadequate safety equipment which had caused dangerous conditions for motorists and resulted in premature closure of the road.
“Salisbury Road is a main arterial route through Marlborough and for access to Tesco, the business park, and residents.
“There are unique circumstances in Marlborough where only minor changes to the flow of traffic could create hours of misery for businesses and residents.”
It was also noted in the meeting how recent works by Thames Water did have an operator present to control the lights, but he had been observed asleep in the van rather than actively monitoring the traffic.
A spokesperson for Marlborough Town Council added: “Marlborough Town Council is acutely aware of the impact of road works on the town’s residents and businesses.
“It also recognises the challenges to both Wiltshire council and utility companies in implementing any form of road works.
“Marlborough Town Council is looking to work proactively with Wiltshire Council to explore if and how roadworks can be executed whilst minimizing the impact to the town."
Responding to concerns, Wiltshire Councillor Tamara Reay, cabinet member for transport, added: “The work on Salisbury Road will start on Monday 2 September and will take approximately eight weeks to complete.
"During this time there will be four-way temporary traffic signals and pedestrian diversion routes in place on the A346 Salisbury Road roundabout.
"However, to minimise disruption, the traffic lights will only be in place from 9.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, for the duration of the work - traffic should flow as normal outside of these times.
“We apologise for any disruption caused during this time, and we appreciate that there have been a number of urgent roadworks carried out in Marlborough recently.
"Unfortunately, due to the nature of the works, they cannot be carried out safely overnight.
"We are doing all we can to minimise disruption by restricting the working hours and working closely with utilities, companies and contractors to minimise disruption on an ongoing basis."
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