Appeal for junction alteration

A mini-roundabout in Southwell is dangerous and should be removed according to town councillors.

The council’s highways group is concerned that the roundabout at the junction of Church Street, Market Place and Westgate is hazardous.

In September members asked Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways officers to take down one of two conflicting signs on the approach to the roundabout from Market Place.

They felt the two signs — a roundabout sign that means that traffic approaching from Market Place should give way to traffic from Westgate, and a give way sign that means that traffic from the Market Place should give way to traffic from Church Street on their left —were confusing to motorists and could cause an accident.

Members now feel the safest solution would be to remove the roundabout and create a T-junction.

The new junction would mean traffic coming from the Market Place would give way to traffic on the A612, which runs along Church Street and Westgate.

A member of the highways group, Mrs Beryl Prentice, said: “We think it’s daft to have the roundabout and a give way sign.

“Both the police and highways officers say the roundabout sign has to take precedence over the give way sign.

“They say the reason they have the give way sign and the roundabout sign is because cars shoot out when they’re coming from King Street and the signs are to slow people down.

“We would rather have the halt sign for traffic coming from King Street and get rid of the roundabout so traffic has to stop because it is coming from a minor road on to a major road.

“We think this would be the least dangerous solution.”

Mrs Prentice said there had been minor collisions at the roundabout and she thought it was only a matter of time before there was a more serious accident.

She said: “There have been so many near misses there and they happen on a regular basis.

“Fortunately we haven’t had any nasty accidents but I think it is an accident spot waiting to happen.”