Roundabout works near Oswestry will lead to road rage and accidents, says ambulance driver

Months of roadworks are taking place at the five-way Gledrid island on the A5/A483 north of Oswestry.

The Highways Agency work includes putting in extra approach lanes on some of the roads.

However the work has brought concern from a local parish council and from residents.

Peter Whittall, who lives in Weston Rhyn, said: "The so-called improvements are adding to the problems on the roundabout and are going to create more accidents."

A Welsh Ambulance Service driver, Mr Whittall, 55, said the markings showed drivers they could use two lanes on the island to remain on the trunk road in either direction or travel from Chirk to Oswestry.

That, he said, posed two problems.

"It means that drivers waiting to come out of Weston Rhyn or St Martins have two lanes of traffic to try to merge into. I can sit in traffic waiting to get onto the roundabout for several minutes," he said.

"Cars on the island will drift across the lanes - one nearly hit me this week as I was getting onto the island. The speed of the traffic going around the roundabout means drivers don't have time to get onto it from the minor roads."

He said drivers then faced problems as they left the roundabout.

"The two lanes quickly turn into one and that will take a lot of drivers by surprise," he said.

"I have seen emergency braking and near misses already. There will be a lot of road rage. As an professional driver I can see that this is an accident waiting to happen, its absolutely ludicrous."

The design of the roundabout has also been criticised by Weston Rhyn Parish Council.

Councillors have written to the contractor, Kier, asking for a review of the road markings.

Town clerk, Roger Dyke, said councillors were concerned that drivers travelling from both Weston Rhyn and St Martins were going to trapped, unable to get onto the roundabout.

"Drivers going from Oswestry, Chirk, or the Chirk bypass can use both lanes on the roundabout. This means there will be constant traffic going across the island at a speed and volume that will make it very difficult for those emerging from Weston Rhyn or St Martins," he said.

"We have written to the contractor working on behalf of the Highways Agency."

Roadworks are expected to continue on the traffic island until June with traffic diverted through Chirk at certain times.

Mr Whittall said the roadworks were causing major delays particularly between the Halton and Gledrid roundabouts.

"We are also fed up of drivers cutting through Weston Rhyn on back lanes to avoid the delays," he said.