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Roadworks cause traffic chaos

11:25am Thursday 14th February 2008

comment Comments (28)   Have your say »


TRAFFIC chaos hit Melksham this week as six weeks worth of roadworks got off to a delayed start.

The stretch of road between Union Street and the Sainsbury's roundabout is shut so a £50,000 Wales & West Utilities project to replace gas pipes can get underway.

The project was due to start on February 4 but delays meant the road wasn't closed until Monday.

The impact has already been felt by commuters using the Western Way bypass which has been regularly gridlocked.

  • There will be temporary traffic lights in St Margaret's Street in Bradford on Avon from Monday to Friday to allow the pedestrian crossing to be fixed.

Have you been trapped in the traffic jams? Click the Comment button to let us know.

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Your Say YourWiltshire Times

fairy86, Trowbridge says...
2:59pm Thu 14 Feb 08

And what a bloody nightmare it is!!!! I've only got to get from Semington to Bowood and have now got to give what should be 20/25 mins a whole hour!!!!!!!!! bloody stupid...

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fairy86, Trowbridge says...
3:01pm Thu 14 Feb 08

doesn't help that idiots sit on the roundabouts to blocking the exits!!!!!

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
4:10pm Thu 14 Feb 08

It’s only been a couple of days, but it has made Melksham Town Centre so much better, let’s see Melksham given back to the people rather than to cars. Too many people use the town centre as a short cut instead of using the bypass (there is a clue in name for it’s designed use - bypass)
I hope this closure makes people think twice about the necessity of their journey, or maybe even take alternative transport, bike, bus, foot.
I believe there is already an increase in the number of school kids walking to school, I hope the trend continues when the road works finish.

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
1:39am Fri 15 Feb 08

No wonder you're Disillusioned with your enjoyment of other peoples inconvenience and delay. Dream on, Disillusioned, and may you always be so. If you want to walk, do so and leave others to their own choices.

I go with Fairy86, something of a nightmare made worse by inconsiderate drivers who should watch the road situation and help fellow drivers by leaving space at roundabouts etc.

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trowbridge, Trowbridge says...
3:08am Fri 15 Feb 08

Public Spirit, if you want to drive, do so and leave others to use much faster (given the situation) methods of transport, laughing as they pass you stuck in traffic!

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
9:17am Fri 15 Feb 08

I will, thanks. That leaves bikes and pedestrians to pass me whilst I sit in air conditioned comfort listening to the radio. I spect I'll catch 'em up and pass 'em later! I promise I won't laugh though, I'm just too polite to do that.

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
1:55pm Fri 15 Feb 08

PS, not once did I indicate my enjoyment about other people’s inconvenience.

I was merely expressing my opinion that the Town Centre from my perspective was a much more pleasant place to be with less traffic passing through it.

I was also hoping that the congestion would get people to think about their journey and possible alternatives. If you feel that the only option is your car then fine. I personally drive, ride or walk depending on circumstances.

As for the roundabout being blocked scenario mentioned, the problem here is the insular nature of the car. Once in your cocoon it’s too easy to selfishly ignore the needs of anyone else on the road, hence the problems.

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
3:10pm Fri 15 Feb 08

trowbridge wrote:
Public Spirit, if you want to drive, do so and leave others to use much faster (given the situation) methods of transport, laughing as they pass you stuck in traffic!
Well perhaps you were just revelling in the mirth of others with your comment about people laughing...or is it delusioned rather than disillusioned?

Seriously though, your psychological analysis of motorists is as unreal as any psychoanalysis I could give you of pedestrians. Once a motorist parks his /her car...whoops becomes a pedestrian.

If you like to walk to town well enjoy. If you like town without cars well, once all the shops go out of business as most people will drive somewhere else to shop, you can have a 'car free' 'shop free' pedestrian paradise if there is anything left to 'pedest' for... they call them Ghost Towns! Nevermind though we'll still be able to have our takeaways delivered...no, hold on, they use cars too for deliveries.


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mark_wilts, Melksham says...
8:37pm Fri 15 Feb 08

a quick HIghway Code lesson - "Road Closed" Means that NO TRAFFIC is allowed down it AT ANY TIME. The ONLY possible exceptions would be busses (signposted) and Blue Lights. NOT lazy arsed drivers who see fit to flout the law by driving through the signs... 4 I noticed last night and another 5 this afternoon on the way home (on a bus!)

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
10:11pm Fri 15 Feb 08

Busses...hmmmm..alwa
ystake precedent over the majority road users, surprise surprise! If a road is closed then apart from emergencies (ie Blue Lights)it should be closed for all traffic.

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Daryl, melksham says...
6:33am Sat 16 Feb 08

It can hardly be called chaos...15/20 minute delays during the so called rush hour....get your lazy a**es out of bed a bit ealier and be thankful you don't live and work in a large city.....in fact....be thankful your able to work!

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Yali, UK says...
4:07pm Sat 16 Feb 08

I think we should all use our helicopters more often.

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
7:44pm Sat 16 Feb 08

Do you really think the council will let us land them in town without an exhorbitant parking fee?

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
8:30pm Sat 16 Feb 08

I really can't see what all the fuss is about when people are being made to bypass the town on a bypass.

While the road works go on, Melksham town centre is not shut and neither are the car parks, in fact it is now easier to get to the town centre and easier to move around without the mass of through traffic.

Rather than treating this brief change to your driving habit with so much negative comment, try embracing some of the plus points in a positive light. Moaning about this situation won't make it go away any faster

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
7:17am Sun 17 Feb 08

Disillusioned, there is no fuss. The vast majority of people drive and therefore any road hold up will quite naturally invoke adverse comment from the majority.

I take it you are one of the minority to walk everywhere, cycle or (by courtesy of subsidisidy from the council tax payers) catch a bus. So, if the sidewalks were icy, your bike had a puncture or the subsidies on the (mostly empty) busses were withdawn to limit the bus service and save the rest of us money, you would complain.

Well, sadly for you, the majority of us have the right to complain too. We have to pay punitive taxes on petrol (70%) and road tax etc so we have paid for the right to complain.

Bus passengers are subsidised and still complain that there are too few, mostly empty, buses. If government (central and local) had any real concern about the eco-mythology, most buses would be mini busses instead of full-sized diesel guzzlers carrying, at best, a hanfull of passengers and often empty!

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
7:27am Sun 17 Feb 08

Just a further point: the bypass alluded to becomes congested due to the hold-ups in town. Perhaps one day when reality dawns, there will be a dual carriageway bypass to keep the traffic moving out of town.

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abc, wiltshire says...
8:30am Sun 17 Feb 08

Daryl wrote:
It can hardly be called chaos...15/20 minute delays during the so called rush hour....get your lazy a**es out of bed a bit ealier and be thankful you don't live and work in a large city.....in fact....be thankful your able to work!
try an hour and ten minutes for a journey that usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes, would have made more sense to close the town centre during school holidays

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
9:56pm Sun 17 Feb 08

For the record, I own three vehicles, all taxed, so believe I have as much right to the roads as anyone commenting here, but I choose to cycle to work for the health benefits and a good start to the day, and I have no problem with public transport subsidies.

In a way, those of you stuck in the jams can thank those on foot, bike or bus, for if we ALL chose to drive, one person one car as is the majority of vehicles I see, then it would be a lot more congested.

Good luck to everyone however you travel over the next 6 weeks.

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
4:39pm Mon 18 Feb 08

Well aren't you just the goody two shoes. I am sure your health will somehow benefit!

What a waste of resources having three taxed vehicles and using a bike! No wonder you're disillusioned. Why not just pack a few hundred pounds in a big envelope and send it to the Government instead? I am sure motor traders would be glad of a bonus too. Don't buy any more cars, just hand over the money and ride away on your bike. They'll be delighted, just try it and see.

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Lemonade, Melksham says...
9:29pm Mon 18 Feb 08

Disillusioned you are coming across highly pretentious. The bypass clearly can't deal with the weight of rush hour traffic, so I don't see how making melksham town centre pedestrianised is going to help! I feel quite isolated! I have no choice but join the queue now and a normally 2 min journey to Sains now takes up to 20 mins! It's so ridiculas...

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
11:05pm Mon 18 Feb 08

My point too, Lemonade. Well posted. Not only do we have to put up with the inconvenience but, according to Disillusioned, we have to like it and not even complain!

Disillusioned must work for Highways in the WCC. Tht'a just like their weird thinking.

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
3:40pm Tue 19 Feb 08

I just get fed up of people who, because they have a car, think they own the road and everything must revolve around their lazy obsession of driving everywhere.

For six seeks your little world will change, get over it...

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
4:20pm Tue 19 Feb 08

The majority of people around here travel by car, Disillusioned... Get Over It (or cycle round it).

I didn't see the six seeks, please give them my salutations.

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
8:24pm Tue 19 Feb 08

I do realise we live in a car culture I cannot stop that, but it would be nice if we could create some car free zones like Chippenham.

When my children are older I would love them to cycle to school in safety, but the high traffic volume through the town center will put their safety at risk.

I wonder how many people reading this are caught in the catch 22 situation of wanting their children to make their own way to school, but can't due to the fear of traffic and subsequently adding to the problem in the process.

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
10:17am Fri 22 Feb 08

Well I expect your three vehicles get used sometimes, Dis, or don't they contribute to traffic ever? Must be museum pieces.

I think you are just trying to make life difficult for others. Cycling is always dangerous, even motorcycling! You don't seem to realise that traffic free zones in a little town like Melksham will just push the traffic eleswhere making for more problems for those motorists and others travelling outside the zones.

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itsonlyme, Melksham says...
9:35pm Fri 22 Feb 08

Disillusioned & Public Spirit,
I think you should both get out more. Get a life and stop this ridiculous, childish ranting at each other.

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Public Spirit, Wiltshire says...
3:51am Sat 23 Feb 08

Awwww, and Just when we were having fun! Good point though, itsonlyme.

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Disillusioned, Melksham says...
9:31pm Sat 23 Feb 08

Although myself and PS had differing views on the situation, I thought it was a good and fair debate with points made on both sides which may have made people think.

There are occasions though when the discussions on here make me cringe.

Over and out on this one though. Dis.

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