Shrewsbury drivers get first taste of new Meole Brace 'hamburger' roundabout

After six months of roadworks motorists have been getting their first taste of the new lay-out in Shrewsbury.

Shropshire Council opened Meole Brace Roundabout to traffic on Tuesday – and early reviews from motorists are mixed. There have been no early dramas, helped by reduced traffic during half term.

But many have questioned if it has all been worth the roadworks hassle.

The work is part of a project called the Shrewsbury Integrated Transport Package - designed to cut congestion and make travel easier for pedestrians and cyclists.

The most noticeable feature of the altered roundabout is a one-way road cut through the centre of the island which takes traffic directly from the Roman Road and Hereford Road exit onto Hereford Road towards Meole Brace Retail Park and the Dobbies Roundabout on the A5.

Initial impressions from drivers have been mixed, with many believing that a second exit to Meole Brace Retail Park would do more cut down on traffic jams.

However, although not fully completed, traffic was flowing smoothly over the new roundabout at rush hour yesterday.

Shropshire Council has said that the changes have also been made with future housing developments for Oteley Road in mind – including 550 homes planned as part of the Shrewsbury Sustainable Urban Extension.

But, Andy Davies, 46, from Baschurch, said the previous roundabout had worked and that he was at a loss as to why the work had been carried out.

He said: "I do not know why it's been done. I wish someone could say "this is the plan, this is what we wanted to gain, this is the amount of money it will save".

"It is just a mass of tarmac and I cannot really see what advantage it brings. What is it going to do? I look at it and think there must have been a severe problem there before that I didn't see to justify the spending to improve it."

Shrewsbury couple Alexandra Pojoni, 27, and Dritan Kola, 37, had mixed views on the new island.

Miss Pojoni said: "Basically it seems more complicated."

However, Mr Kola said the real test would be how the roundabout copes on days when the nearby Shrewsbury Town Football Club are playing at home, and on weekends when the retail park is busy.

He said: "I do not know about the traffic, we will have to see when there is a football match on or with the retail park at the weekends.

"Before there was a lot of traffic and hopefully it will be a good result."

One driver, who did not want to be named, said the new cut-through on the roundabout was "fab".

Liz Stacey, 57, of Meole, regularly cycles and drives in the area and said the traffic problems will only be solved by adding another entrance or exit to the retail park.

She said: "If I come anywhere near here at the weekend I cycle because there is always a jam. I cannot see that this will make any of the jams better.

"Most of us are of the opinion that this was the only roundabout that worked well. When they were digging it up and there were no lights it worked well too.

"What we need is another exit to the retail park. That is more important."

David Lewis, 66, of Wattlesborough was another who was more concerned at problems with the traffic to the retail park backing up onto Hereford Road.

He said: "The roundabout worked far better with the give-way signs than the traffic lights, but why they didn't put another entrance into the retail park I do not know. They need another entrance-only road between Marks & Spencer and the McDonald's. It is a bottleneck at the moment."

Mr Lewis added: "You could then have the exit taking them out up towards the park and ride."

Keith Davies of Sutton in Shrewsbury said: "It has only been open a couple of days and I don't know if it will make a lot of difference."

He added: "But they are doing all of the works at the same time and it is a nightmare for anyone coming into town."

Simon Jones, the Shropshire Councillor who was responsible for highways when the Meole Brace project was started, had said it was vital for the area.

Speaking earlier this year he said: "The work at Meole will ensure the roundabout continues to function after the vast development along Oteley Road is complete, and with the predicted additional users of the route.

"Additional safety benefits will also be added, such as a dedicated foot and cycle route to prevent some of the numerous cycle accidents that have occurred and to make it safer for football fans to visit the Greenhous Meadow or shoppers to visit the retail park, with additional signal-controlled crossings also being installed."