Estate roadworks are finished
Thursday 25th June 2009, 6:00PM BST.
Roadworks connected with one of Telford’s biggest new estates were officially completed today, bringing to an end nearly two years of delays and congestion for borough motorists.
New traffic signals at Newdale Cross were switched on after the morning rush hour.
They are designed to smooth traffic flows for the £600 million Ironstone “urban village” at Lawley.
The project, which has been slowed by the downturn in the housing market, will include 3,300 homes when it is completed and will be the biggest urban expansion of any town in the UK.
New roads are being built and there will be a primary school, village square, parkland, shops, offices, a hotel and community care centre.
The main junction between the B5072 West Centre Way and A5223 Lawley Drive has now ceased to operate as a roundabout, although removal of cones and barriers was continuing through the day.
Councillor Stephen Bentley, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “We are delighted that these signals and crossings are now operational.”
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Any bets on whether the new traffic lights do actually improve traffic flow?
I know what my moneys on…. ;-)
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Could Councillor Bentley tell us how long we’re going to have to wait for the traffic management disaster on the corner of Woodside (outside the new Madeley Court “Academy”) to be sorted out?
Traffic is regularly backed up around the roundabouts at Castle Fields and on Park Way, while motorists trying to avoid the massive delays are now causing similar problems on alternative routes, especially at Cuckoo Oak and Madeley Roundabouts.
Someone is going to be killed before long – there’s already been at least one serious accident.
Perhaps if Councillor Bentley dragged himself out of his leafy idyll in Waters Upton and saw the result of his department’s incompetence he might feel moved to do something about it.
Then again, perhaps it would bring back unpleasant memories of when he was a Labour Councillor for Hollinswood and Randlay….
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A lot of money spent on the project, but who on earth are the people who can afford a huge mortgage for one of the houses on the estate? The small three-bedroom houses are going for at least 130K. How many people earn the 40K PA in Telford to afford a mortgage for one of these places? Disgusting.
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Do you think the idea of all these lights is to actually stop traffic and then one day someone will turn around and say “look at all this traffic blocking up the roads, we’ll have to slap on a congestion charge”
any time the lights are out on Bennets Bank or Holinswood islands the traffic is clear and free flowing. i’m afraid that these new lights are going to make it worse.
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Me thinks Bentley speaks with forked tongue – I drove through this massive mess this morning to find cones blocking lanes 30mph signs and 40 mph marked on the road and a massive waste of electricity in the form of the lights when a roundabout would have been much better.
It is hardly surprising that people vote for the extreme parties when those currently in power talk such utter root.
I wounder how long it will be before speed cameras appear alongside the congestion charge!
Be honourable Bentley and resign – and take the buffoons in traffic mismanagement who have wrecked Telford with you.
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Vampiric, Lawley is a crossroads and without lights would turn into a scary dance with death. Ok another damn set of traffic-lights for Telford where an island would have done perfectly well enough without lights.
Make the best of that road, in the future its going to be a small town with (according to their plans) a boulavard-type road mixing traffic with people(=gridlock). In ten years T & W (eg tax payers) will have to sort out the mess not the developers and thier (ever) smaller houses.
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They seem to be working fine to me, a few lines appeared over night seemingly to guide us, maybe they think we cannot negotiate a crossroads in Telford?
This roundabout was never very safe so I say lets give this a chance and see how it works, at least its not another rounabout WITH lights.
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Whats the problem people, do any of you really think this is WORSE, I’ve not seen many queues going to work or back home much worse than before they and todays trips have been no problem at all.
Why do we British have to knock things for the sake of it?
Remember, there are bigger things to worry about – Michael Jackson is gone, the sun has gone in just in time for the weekend and Andy Murray is still in Wimbledon. A piffling little set of traffic lights doesn’t really rate up there does it?
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About time they were finished. Must be a contender for longest running roadworks. No doubt they will be accompanied by pointlessly low speed limits.
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RobTelford is right.
Where the school is built in woodside is idiotic. Stupidest place ever for both the entrance and the school itself. I want my green field back!
The traffic is bad enough without the school while the lights are there.. Now with the lights AND the crossing, kids are going to be hit by cars and moterists are going to be getting very pee’d.
Whoever designed it needs a kick up the back side and thrown off a cliff without a parachute.
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