Yellow brick road Angry residents say works have ‘ruined’ seafront
FURIOUS locals say their “lovely Victorian seafront” has been “ruined” by a new road layout that has been branded a farcical “yellow brick road”.
Council contractors were back at Clevedon’s The Beach on Wednesday night to install the ‘buff’ surfacing.
It comes after a new roundabout in the coastal town was the butt of jokes from locals due to its bizarre layout. The authority then removed and repainted it – just weeks after it was first installed.
Now, a new road design has been put in which locals have likened to Wizard of Oz’s fictional Emerald City – following the appearance of its own yellow brick road.
They say the surfacing – in bright contrast to the newly laid road – has ‘devastated’ the Victorian seafront forever and can be seen for miles around. Others have described it as looking like an airport landing strip or the entrance to a shopping mall. It is understood the ‘yellow brick road’ will get bigger with more work planned over the coming nights. A spokesman for the Save our Seafront campaign group said: “It’s heartbreaking to see. They have ruined our lovely Victorian seafront.”
The arrival of the buff surfacing
follows the installation of ‘confusing’ wiggly lines and a roundabout at the junction of The Marine Parade and Alexandra Gardens, dubbed the town’s newest crop circle.
The spokesman added: “First the wiggly lines and crop circle and now the yellow brick road.”
North Somerset Council leader Councillor Steve Bridger posted about the latest work on social media. He said: “Over the next three or four nights contractors will apply the high friction coloured textured surfacing and re-centre the mini roundabout on The Beach. This was always part of the plan and will complete the scheme, bar any small changes that may need to be made in response to the required independent safety audit.”
Parking has also been reconfigured to run parallel to the beach, with a large number of spaces being removed.