Page 5 - link magazine

The virtual Link Magazine now online @ www.swindonlink.com 5
Long and winding road home
for Redhouse residents when
major junction is closed to cars

From December, Junction 6A on Thamesdown Drive, opposite the
North Swindon District Centre is going to become a bus only route -
as originally envisaged in the Priory Vale master plan agreed be-
tween the North Swindon Development Company and Swindon
Borough Council in the 1990s.
At the same time Lady Lane is there are vehicles queuing to turn
going to be closed at Ash Brake, right into Redhouse, when there is
which means the current three also a queue on the left, trying to
points of access to the eastern part get into the North Swindon Dis-
of Redhouse will be reduced to trict Centre.
one. All traffic will come off at Councillor Justin Tomlinson
Junction 7 and travel along said he and coun Peter Stoddart
Eastbury Way. were alarmed by the proposal. "We
Many residents are not going to recognise the concerns of the high-
be pleased by the long and tortu- ways engineers, but we will be
ous route home, nor the increased seeking the views of residents ur-
amount of traffic on Eastbury Way gently and calling a public meet-
and roads to Bridlewood Primary ing if necessary.
School. "The majority of the complaints
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Nicola Norridge, mum of two we deal with arc from residents
boys at Bridlewood, who lives at who were not told the truth by
Fenton Avenue, just yards from developers before they bought
Junction 6A is not impressed. "This their property. The Junction 6A
is an appalling decision which we closure only shows upon the more
were not told about when we expensive legal searches, so the
bought our house two years ago. If majority of people will be bliss-
we'd known about it, we certainly fully ignorant of the original plan.
would not have moved there. "Unfortuntately developers
"Not only will this devalue the only tell half the story; I expect a
property, Eastbury Way is going lot of people are going to contact
to become a lot more dangerous us when they read this."
because of all the traffic coming off To express your view, mail:
Thamesdown Drive. We've never [email protected] or
experienced a problem with the [email protected]
junction 6A slip road; I can't see
the logic in closing it. All the coun-
cil have to do is adjust the traffic Residents want
light timings." Lady Lane to close
Mike Christmas from the North People living in Ash Brake have
Swindon Development Company expressed concern at delays in clos-
explained that the change would ing Lady Lane. They are worried
improve road safety. He said that that while the road remains open
the filter lane at Junction 6A was there are serious safety issues.
designed to accommodate a cou- Once J6A becomes a bus only
ple of small buses. "If more than route, the lane would be a more
four or five cars wait in the right direct route to the area around
turn filter lane, it's possible the last Bridlewood school than the alter-
one might stick out into the out- native via J7.
side lane of Thamesdown Drive." Councillors Tomlinson and
Swindon Council traffic engi- Stoddart have written a letter to
neers fear a serious accident at busy put pressure on the North Swin-
times involving through traffic if don Developm e n t Company to act.