A CONTROVERSIAL traffic island has been re-opened after a public outcry over a new road layout which cost the taxpayer £1.3 million prompted a rethink.

Worcestershire County Council engineers last week started alterations to the troublesome left-hand ‘slip-road’ – which is in fact a road junction – taking traffic from the M5 roundabout, heading towards the A4440 to-wards Malvern.

Your Worcester News fielded dozens of complaints from drivers saying the left-hand turn lane was a safety hazard, allowing little visiblity, leaving little time for drivers to safely pull out, while one motorist alleged it had caused a road crash.

City councillor Paul Denham also branded the roundabout “chaotic and potentially dangerous”, before the recent tweaks.

Following that criticism and its own “on-site monitoring”, the county council decided to make some alterations to the lane. These works have included moving the junction back towards the M5 roundabout by about 30 yards, so it now lines up with the junction with the roundabout, and new repeater signs warning drivers when they need to ‘give way’.

Engineers suspended the last part of the works over the weekend, allowing for traffic heading towards the Malvern Autumn Show, but had completed the alterations by Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning.

Following a site inspection yesterday, the ‘slip-road’ was reopened at lunchtime.

Jon Fraser, Worcestershire County Council customer and community manager, said: “The alterations to the left-turn slip road at the new Whittington roundabout, which required a short-term lane closure on the A4440 Crookbarrow Way, were completed over-night on Monday and Tues-day to keep any disruption to a minimum.

“The changes, put in place following feedback from motorists and on-site monitoring, include the moving back of the ‘give way’ markings, a change in the angle of the junction to aid driver visibility and the installation of additional signage to reinforce the message that it’s necessary to give way to traffic when exiting the slip-road. He said since the original alterations were carried out to all four approaches on the roundabout, earlier this year, traffic congestion had “eased”.