Fresh concerns raised over the new layout of controversial Copcut junction

This comes just days after improvement work from the Worcestershire County Council was finished.

Councillors reviewed the A38 Copcut/Pulley Lane Junction after two major crashes earlier on this year, with many citing the previous works that were carried out last September as a partial cause for the accidents.

A motorcyclist and his passenger were seriously injured in January, and a man was taken to hospital after hitting a wall and telegraph pole in February.

Although an investigation found that the previous layout wasn't at fault, work was completed during three overnight closures late last month, and the northbound A38 entrance was adapted to be a single lane through the junction with an extended right turn lane into Pulley Lane.

The southbound A38 retained its two lanes, with a slightly longer merge length and increased separation between the merging vehicles and northbound traffic added. 

However, many still aren't happy with how the junction has been laid out, and they've once again taken to social media to vent their frustration. 

Writing on the Spotted Droitwich Facebook page, one resident said: "I see hardly any difference from before.

"The red paint highlights that there is a potentially dangerous area on the nearside of the turn at the lights, which I think is a great idea. 

"Regards the extension, the merging arrows back over onto the left side still baffles me.

"With the attitude, lack of knowledge, and lack of understanding displayed from road users, I still see this as a recipe for disaster."

Another wrote: "Do they really think a bit of red paint will stop people trying to push ahead, they've just made it worse, in my opinion."

A third disgruntled motorist said: "The merge in turn area going south is no different than it was before, they have simply changed the road markings.

"The red hashed area doesn’t stop the two southbound lanes crashing into each other. You can’t create ‘more merging length’ where there isn’t enough road space to do so."

However, while some drivers have been left frustrated by the filter lane, others attributed the issues to the junction simply not being able to cope with the volumes of traffic. 

One Facebook user wrote: "It still doesn’t get over the fundamental problem; Pulley Lane and the Pulley Lane junction is not suitable for the volume of traffic it is expected to take.

"It was only ever a narrow, bendy country lane intended for horses and farm traffic not dozens of cars and 4x4s going to and from the new estates.

"A new access road should have been built from the Island before people moved into the new houses as was done for Copcut Rise."

A statement from the County Council said that the new layout aimed to "address concerns raised, whilst maximising the available capacity within the junction".

Droitwich County Councillor Richard Morris previously defended the plans, saying that the matter was being dealt with by the people who knew how to best handle the situation.

He said: "County highways have taken on a lot of the feedback in trying to find a solution to the junction.

"There's no way to please everyone and everyone's got a different point of view – but highways are the people who have the knowledge and have access to the best way of handling things. We have to trust that."

He added: "This isn’t the only situation that has been an issue around the county in terms of developer led highway works. There is something that needs to be looked into on how highways work with developers to bring the work to a satisfactory end."