Swindon Town Centre

[Simon Pieman]

What the lights? Surely they're just at every junction Sipps?

[Sippo]

Yeah the lights were put in to slow traffic. We lived in burghley park before the road was built, and that was put to us at the planning meetings. I know they're annoying to fuck, but that was the reason.

[jonny72]

The Bridgemead roundabout (with traffic light system) is where the tailbacks are in West Swindon which backs it up to Thamesdown Drive. I don't think it's the roundabouts it's the volume of traffic.

I don't think I've ever seen a tailback from Bridgemead to Thamesdown Drive. From what I see all the queues are caused by the roundabouts and the smaller roads that feed on to them - these have priority, so a small trickle of traffic from them slows the main road down. I see it every evening at the Total garage, I join the road from Shaw and get straight on to it whilst there is a massive tailback on the left. Same thing happens a couple of roundabouts down.

Roundabouts only really work if you have a similar traffic flow from each road, if you don't then things can get real fucked up.

[Simon Pieman]

I work on Westmead Drive, there are tailbacks every day, usually in the morning though. It's all the people trying to get onto the dual carriageway.

The roads around those parts really aren't built for traffic, a major flaw with the Shaw Tip stadium plan in my opinion.

[Ardiles]

I remember seeing a plan years ago, before North Swindon was built, for the road links that would need to be built to support the expansion.  The road that would become Thamesdown Drive was clearly shown.

BUT, only half of the originally planned road has been built.  The original plan would have seen Thamesdown Drive continue past the point where it currently stops near Burghley Park/Moredon and continue in a south-easterly direction to meet the roundabout next to the railway bridge where Rodbourne Road meets the Great Western Way.

If this dual carriageway had been completed as actually planned, I doubt you would now be having anything like as many problems as you are now having in the Westlea area.  Mead Way has now become a main route from North Swindon in to the middle of town (as a result of the failure to complete the North Swindon link), but it was never designed for this purpose...hence the problems.

[jonny72]

If this dual carriageway had been completed as actually planned, I doubt you would now be having anything like as many problems as you are now having in the Westlea area.  Mead Way has now become a main route from North Swindon in to the middle of town (as a result of the failure to complete the North Swindon link), but it was never designed for this purpose...hence the problems.

They need to either finish the road they never built or turn Mead Way in to a dual carriageway (which should just about be possible). This is typical of the problem with expansion in Swindon, they don't bother upgrading the existing infrastructure to handle the increased traffic.

Nearly as bad as the infamous Swindon "ring road", no one really knows what or where it is except for the few random mentions on a number of road signs.

[Sippo]

I remember seeing a plan years ago, before North Swindon was built, for the road links that would need to be built to support the expansion.  The road that would become Thamesdown Drive was clearly shown.

BUT, only half of the originally planned road has been built.  The original plan would have seen Thamesdown Drive continue past the point where it currently stops near Burghley Park/Moredon and continue in a south-easterly direction to meet the roundabout next to the railway bridge where Rodbourne Road meets the Great Western Way.

If this dual carriageway had been completed as actually planned, I doubt you would now be having anything like as many problems as you are now having in the Westlea area.  Mead Way has now become a main route from North Swindon in to the middle of town (as a result of the failure to complete the North Swindon link), but it was never designed for this purpose...hence the problems.

I remember seeing those plans.

[Batch]

They could at least improve the god damn traffic light sequencing off peak to ensure I don't have to stop at every frakking traffic light to give priority to non-existent cars joining Thamesdown Drive

[Samdy Gray]

It's like London, Batch. I doesn't matter if there's no cars on the road, you're still stopping at every single set of lights.

[jonny72]

They could at least improve the god damn traffic light sequencing off peak to ensure I don't have to stop at every frakking traffic light to give priority to non-existent cars joining Thamesdown Drive

You realise that is done deliberately?

The logic at the time was that it made you stop and start more often, so burning more petrol and raising more income via duty for the government. So they banned local councils from sequencing lights for a straight drive. I believe they have now removed this rule (or were talking of removing it) but I don't think anything has happened in Swindon yet.

I'm still in disbelief that they did this in the first place when they go on about their green credentials all the time.

[Batch]

I had heard that, I've always assumed that to be urban legend.

Regardless, there is no excuse not to change it.

[Doore]

Slightly off the thread, but not by much - obviously Swindon Council made headlines a while back by announcing they would remove speed cameras - I don't come back much now, has this happened and has it made a difference to traffic flow?

[Spencer_White]

They have been saying for a couple of years that Swindon has been majorly neglected in terms of transport infrastructure.

But then its our council's/politicians fault for not shouting loud enough.

[nochee]

Slightly off the thread, but not by much - obviously Swindon Council made headlines a while back by announcing they would remove speed cameras - I don't come back much now, has this happened and has it made a difference to traffic flow?

No, my ol dear got caught doing 38mph on Oxford road last week by the camera at the Toys r us end.

[Ardiles]

Bump (again).

Today's news...town centre managers are to advertise Swindon to residents of Bristol and other nearby places.

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/4550688.Billboard_battle_for_shoppers/

Apparently, this isn't a wind up either.