Missing ‘no entry’ sign causes major traffic chaos

A MISSING ‘no entry’ sign is causing major problems in Eastville. Locals say it is one of the many road safety issues they have experienced in the past month following the closure of Royate Hill.

Royate Hill has been closed for gas maintenance work since early January, which are set to continue until mid-March. The closure – from Fishponds Road to Clay Bottom – has caused chaos on residential streets, with cars driving the wrong way up a narrow residential road.

Eastville Councillor Lorraine Francis said she redirected four vehicles on Bridge Street and that it is much worse during rush hour.

Bridge Street resident Martyn Cordey fears that the missing sign is an ‘accident waiting to happen.’ He said: “I have reported to the council three times since Friday that there is no visible ‘no entry’ sign at the bottom of Bridge Street to vehicles coming down Stonebridge Park. One sign is only visible if coming up from the viaduct (which is now blocked), the other has been blanked out. “Consequently, there are sometimes constant streams of vehicles going across from Stonebridge Park and up Bridge Street the wrong way. I have witnessed several near-misses where vehicles have been sneaking up Bridge Street into oncoming traffic coming down.”

A spokesperson from Wales & West Utilities told the Post work will continue until mid-March and added: “We know that working in areas like this is not ideal, but it really is essential to make sure we keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area, and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future. We’ll have a team of gas engineers on site throughout the project to make sure our work is completed as safely and as quickly as possible while keeping disruption to a minimum.”