Roundabout alternative (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Roundabout alternative
8:45am Thursday 1st November 2012 in Letters
Sir.–Undoubtedly Brighton Hill Roundabout needs to be improved. But the proposal accompanying the recent Tesco bid was extravagant and illsuited to the needs of the community.
It gave me the impression that Tesco is prepared to throw any amount of money at road improvement schemes in order to win a bid. Many of us would be happy to see a Tesco Extra somewhere in Basingstoke, but this was not a good package deal.
The bulk of traffic using this roundabout is A30 Winchester Road through-traffic.
Certainly, a vehicle underpass would take off nearly all this traffic, leaving the roundabout itself much less busy. So why would we still need traffic lights? To make it easier for pedestrians to get round?
The loss of the pedestrian underpasses would enforce a much longer route for pedestrians. Traffic lights would enforce waiting at various points. I could not see this being popular.
How about a light-construction overpass, taking one lane of A30 traffic in each direction? This would be cheaper, less disruptive and almost as effective in taking traffic off the roundabout.
Traffic lights would be unnecessary, the difficulty for traffic to emerge from Western Way would be overcome and the existing pedestrian underpasses could remain.
I am sure that Basingstoke council will be happy to consider the alternatives, whether or not in conjunction with a further bid from Tesco.
–Denis McMahon, Barn Lane, Oakley, Basingstoke.
