news story

8th December 2009

Local Campaigners call for New Motorway Junction to relieve Local Roads

MP Steve Webb (right), Cllr Peter Tyzack (centre) and campaigner Dave Derham (left) alongside the A403

Local residents, councillors and MP Steve Webb have joined forces to call for a new motorway junction on the M49 to take lorry traffic off the A403 between Aust and Avonmouth. The construction of a major new Tesco regional distribution centre on Severnside is already leading to a big increase in construction traffic using the road and once it is open there will be heavy vehicles going to and from the site 24 hours a day. This is in addition to the traffic that already accesses the neighbouring Western Approach business park near Severn Beach, which is also set to grow as new businesses move in.

Now campaigners are calling for a motorway junction on the M49 which would allow direct access to and from the Tesco site and local business parks, which would greatly relieve local roads. Local MP Steve Webb, councillor Peter Tyzack and campaigner Dave Derham are pressing for the new junction and also calling for short-term measures to deal with the speed of traffic along the A403.

Steve Webb MP said: "The Highways Agency has fobbed us off in the past with excuses, but we should not take no for an answer. A new junction would be in everyone's interests. I have therefore now written again to the Highways Agency and to the Council to try to broker a deal, and I will also be meeting Tesco representatives on site to see how this can be taken forward".

Cllr Peter Tyzack said: "The A403 was never designed for the volume and weight of traffic that it is now experiencing. Major industrial developments like these need their own direct motorway access. This would make environmental sense because it would cut the amount of time the lorries spend trying to access the motorway network and would also benefit the local communities. It is not just those who live on the A403 who suffer, but anyone who tries to turn on to this increasingly busy road from the villages along the route".

Residents are also calling for action to tackle existing speeding problems along the A403. In some sections of the road, vehicles are free to travel at up to 70 mph which makes it very difficult for householders along the road to join the flow of traffic in a safe way.

Local resident Dave Derham said:

"At rush hour times it is very difficult for local residents to safely join or leave the A403. I have already submitted a petition from local residents calling for a uniform 50mph speed limit along the road and effective enforcement of the limits. It would appear that the Council has not responded positively to this petition and we are looking for them to take this problem seriously before someone is hurt. The situation will get much worse when the new Tesco operation opens in a few months."