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Travel and
transport news
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 Two Somerset Council Active Travel schemes – pedestrian and cycling – in Yeovil town centre are nearing completion.
The final stage of works to upgrade pedestrian crossings, traffic signals and improve cycling and walking routes is due to start from 17 March, when the following planned road closures will be in place. Diversions will be in operation and any affected bus routes will be re-routed. The team on site is liaising with business owners and residents affected by these closures.
Central Road will be closed for up to one week to enable resurfacing of the carriageway and upgrades to traffic signals. Consecutively and to make best use of this closure, a series of night time only closures in South Western Terrace / Middle Street will also be in operation for new road crossings to be installed as part of the signals upgrade.
While Hendford will have northbound closure from Brunswick Street to Hendford Medical Centre from Monday 24 March to Friday 4 April.
Minor repair works are planned on the Country Park link to Pen Mill railway station. These will be completed in the coming 6-8 weeks with no road closures needed.
Wales and West Utilities (WWU) are scheduled to carry out major gas main replacement works in Taunton from this spring.
WWU is upgrading the gas mains around Bishops Hull Road and Silk Mills Road in Taunton from 31 March.
Phase 1 - Bishops Hull Road Scheme:
- Road closure on Bishops Hull Road from 31 March to the end of June
- Work on Orchard Drive from 21 April to 4 May
- Road closures on Bishops Hull Road and Comeytrowe Lane, with 2-way traffic lights on Stonegallows and Wellington New Road from 27 May to 13 June
Phase 2 - Mountway Road:
- Directional closure on Silk Mills Road from 16 June to 25 July
- Directional closure on Silk Mills Road with a road closure of the junction of Mountway Road from 28 July to 17 August
- Directional closure on Silk Mills Road with a road closure on Waterfield Drive and a lane closure on Wellington New Road from 18 August to 7 September
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Emergency work to maintain power for nearly 2,000 homes in Taunton will need a partial closure of a section of the A358 Staplegrove Road from Monday 10 March.
National Grid is doing the work and will need a one-way traffic system in place from the Manor Road junction to the roundabout at the Greenway Road junction for a period of up to 4 weeks.
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Somerset Council’s Executive has taken steps to protect free overnight parking for cars in the county’s car parks as part of a proposed review of parking.
Following a discussion on proposed changes during Monday’s Executive Budget Meeting, members also agreed to provide free parking for up to 30 minutes in the new on street limited waiting bays to encourage turnover of available spaces and support local businesses.
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As rural county where farming is a major activity and where farmers carry out a lot of important land and vegetation maintenance, it is a common occurrence for mud and debris to end up on the road. The Council’s expectation is that operators ensure all mud and debris is removed immediately when this happens.
It is an offence to leave mud and other material on the road, and people who do so may be liable to prosecution and for the cost of cleaning it up.
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Close passes are not only really intimidating, but also dangerous: police attribute "passing too close to the cyclist" as a contributory factor in a staggering 25% of serious collisions between cyclists and large vehicles. At the same time, we know that 62% of people in the UK consider cycling on the roads ‘too dangerous’. If we want safer roads for cyclists as well as more people cycling, putting an end to close passing is absolutely key, and Cycling UK’s Too Close For Comfort campaign does just that.
In 2022, the New Highway Code rules for England, Scotland and Wales were introduced to challenge the power hierarchy on our roads to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Some of the key changes in the new Highway Code include:
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