‘Please bear with us’ - council

21/02/2011 @ 03:40

Welshpool’s one-way system got off to an unceremonious start with traffic jams and tailbacks causing a day-long headache for motorists.

Mywelshpool’s inbox and Facebook Group wall has been inundated with comments and complaints as residents woke up to a new road system that has at times been chaotic.

Our first report of problems came at 7.30am when traffic light hiccups on Mill Lane resulted in traffic backing up and it didn’t get much easier with lines of cars stretching back to the Medical Centre and beyond.

Taxi companies were reporting that a normal five-minute town run was taking them 30 minutes and turning their businesses into a nightmare.

For the comments, please see our Facebook Group’s wall but one angry worker summed up the feeling best by complaining: “Everyone is saying why open it when half done? Some roads that have two lanes have only one open and the lane outside the Corn Store is closed which is adding to the congestion. Madness!”

The problems have been compounded by the closure of Mill Lane due to a drain collapsing last week so traffic is being shunted through the Spar Car Park and into the one-way matrix.

So the big question planners are facing is 'why did they open the road when it was clearly not ready?'

And planners, who were optimistic last night and even more so when it was opened two hours ahead of schedule this morning, have now conceded that there is some considerable fine tuning required.

“I met the engineers so that we can see if we can delay any work in Church Street and get traffic moving in two lanes,” said Town Clerk Robert Robinson. “The Mill Lane closure is what has caused the problem and this is being expressed to finish ASAP.

“Please bear with us; we are doing all we can. Welshpool Town Council has done the publicity and trying to let people know what is going on but ultimately it is Powys County Council and Tesco that are in control of what happens and where.”