Traffic trouble Claims closure of road stretch puts people in danger
TWO councillors have claimed that the closure of part of one of Cheltenham’s busiest roads is causing chaos is putting people in danger.
Borough councillors David Willingham and Victoria Atherstone represent the St Peter’s area of the town, part of which has been affected by the closure of a section of Gloucester Road.
It is being resurfaced by the county council until Tuesday, August 13.
The section between the Queens Road mini-roundabout and its junction with High Street is closed from 7pm to 7am. Highways crews are repairing the stretch between Vineyards Lane and the junction with the High Street.
Gloucester Road is one of the busiest roads in Cheltenham and Councillor Willingham (LD, St Peter’s) claimed a lack of planning by the county council was to blame for problems in the area.
He said: “I visited the site due to complaints from constituents, and as
well as seeing cars, taxis and vans having to turn around, I witnessed two buses and a coach having to do threepoint turns because of the absence of signage until it was far too late.
“This is inconvenient for those drivers and dangerous.
“The road closure is also causing the diversion of bus routes, but again there are no signs at bus stops telling people they are out of service.”
Councillor Atherstone (LD, St Peter’s) claimed bad planning by the county council was shocking.
She said it had failed to think about local residents and added: “We are demanding better for our constituents, have raised our concerns with Gloucestershire County Council, and asked them to resolve this as a matter of urgency.”
The two councillors claimed a lack of any warnings about the road closure and a failure to sign diversion routes was causing problems for motorists.
They also said residents in several roads off Gloucester Road were struggling to get access to their homes.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: “This is a key route in Cheltenham and that is why we are working overnight from 7pm to 7am on weekdays to minimise disruption.
“We have done a lot to raise awareness of the work by issuing information to the local media, posting on our website and social media channels, as well as a local letter drop.
“There is a signed diversion and road closed signs are placed at points where it is possible for vehicles to turn around.”
“We gave advance notice to bus operators who are responsible for communicating service changes to their customers.
“We are in contact with local councillors and members of the public to assist with their concerns and we have already implemented some changes.”
A spokesman for Stagecoach said: “Stagecoach West was notified by the council that the Tewkesbury Road end of the Gloucester Road would be closed between 7pm and 7am every week day until August 13.
“In an effort to continue to serve its passengers through that period, it is running amended routes for its A, D, E and F services which avoid that section of road.
“Details of the route changes can be found on the Service Updates section of the Stagecoach website.”