CARS have almost ground to a halt at rush hours as roadworks being carried out at the north and south of the city cause frustration and long tailbacks for drivers.

Motorists have been left feeling exasperated as work being carried out on main roads through the city have led to gridlocked traffic and long waits.

Temporary traffic lights on Upper Tything at the junction with Back Lane South, the closure of St Mary's Street and temporary lights on Bath Road for seven weeks have compounded the problems on the city's roads.

And with more overnight road closures beginning on Sunday for the A4440 Southern Link Road between the Ketch island and Norton roundabout between 8pm and 6am, motorists have been left asking for the brakes to be put on any more work.

Some have reported that their journey times to and from work has more than doubled while others have questioned why the roadworks seem to be carried out all at once.

But Worcestershire County Council reassured drivers all the work being carried out is essential and they have tried to schedule it to cause the least disruption.

A council spokeswoman said: "We do appreciate the current road works are causing some disruption for motorists but there is never a good time.

"The February half term is renowned for being quieter on the roads and we have chosen this time for our night closures at the Ketch for example.

"There are also a number of other projects being planned for later in the year, which we have tried to avoid clashing with."

With the National Grid works on Upper Tything, opposite the Royal Grammar School, expected to stay in place until Thursday, February 19 some have questioned why there is a need for temporary traffic lights at all.

On the Worcester News Facebook page, Steve Drewer said the bus lane should be used to help filter traffic around the roadworks.

He wrote: "For the very life of me, I fail to understand why they needed traffic lights here at all.

"Allowing vehicles heading toward the City Centre to use the bus lane would have meant little or no disruption whatsoever.

"In fact, when I drove through the area on Monday, the ONLY obstruction to allowing such a free two-way flow of traffic was, rather ironically, the temporary traffic lights themselves.

"Ridiculous."

Worcester News website user imustbeoldiwearacap also suggested cars were diverted using the bus lane: "Beats me, but the temporary lights still left two lanes (one being the bus lane that is not necessary anymore since the demise of the P&R) - so why could they not suspend the bus lane and still allow flow of traffic in both directions without the need for traffic lights?"

The council spokeswoman added they were currently discussing traffic management at the site with National Grid to find out what would be the best solution.

Work is due to finish on Thursday, February 19 and she said there was a possibility they may make changes.

 


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