Dear Editor,
I was interested in Trevor Rose's letter (Gazette, September 29) regarding lane layout at Thornycroft Roundabout. I share his concern about safety but I have a different take on the design.
The north-south road (A340) at this junction is a ring road. By its purpose and design it carries a substantial amount of traffic. One cannot expect the same lane pattern on approaching this junction from different directions.
It makes sense to me that traffic coming west from town (A3010) should have two left lanes for turning into the ring road, especially with six lanes available at the roundabout. The problem here is the signage. The sign indicating the lanes to select is not far enough ahead of the roundabout. I suggest it should be just past the point where traffic from Morrisons/Wickes emerges.
READ MORE: Thornycroft Roundabout, in Basingstoke, is total nonsense
It also makes sense to me that traffic turning right has two available lanes at the roundabout, but the sign on the approach to the roundabout makes no indication of this. Only on the roundabout itself are the two right-turning lanes indicated. This can encourage a driver on the right-hand lane to move to the next lane to the left - a dangerous manoeuvre on a roundabout.
Direction signs at the roundabout display destinations and road numbers haphazardly, in no obvious order, causing drivers to take their eyes off the road for longer than they should. It seems to be all part of a national problem. We have some fine roads nowadays, but the standards for signing have not kept up with developments and are sadly in need to be updated.
Denis McMahon
Barn Lane
Oakley
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