Residents have shared major safety concerns over the opening of the long-awaited Melksham East relief road at a 40mph speed limit.
The relief road, an extension of Eastern Way, was due to open once the roundabout, which took two years to complete, was finished in the summer. Residents have expressed frustration over the delay in opening the road and, earlier this year, launched a petition calling for the speed limit to be set at 30mph to protect pedestrians and children living nearby.
Now that the road is open, residents and councillors have criticised Wiltshire Council for setting the speed limit at 40mph, arguing it is unsafe.
One resident of Angelica Avenue, Rob Barbara, who set up the petition, said, “There are dog walkers and children who use the pathway beside the road. There is also concern about children walking to the football and rugby clubs. There are about 30 kids on the estate, and it’s a lovely environment where they play outside on the streets. But there is no protection.”
He added, “A lot of trucks are going to use that relief road. Driving a truck at 40mph with children around is not a good move. This road is an accident waiting to happen.”
Town councillor Charlie Stokes, who represents Melksham East, said, “As a local councillor, I shared the frustration and concerns of many Melksham East residents regarding the ongoing delays in the opening of the Melksham East relief road. Whilst it is good to finally see it open, the delays themselves over the year were highly concerning, but even more concerning is Wiltshire Council’s refusal to lower the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.
“This poses a significant risk, not only to the residents, but also to the hundreds of schoolchildren who will use that road on their way to Melksham Oak. Added in with the increase in lorry traffic, this is an accident waiting to happen and it will be on Wiltshire Council’s shoulders.”
Wiltshire councillor for Melksham East, Mike Sankey, who had been campaigning for the speed limit on the road to be 30mph, said, “I have been advised that it will now be necessary to wait 12 months from the opening of the road to conduct traffic surveys across the whole area to consider any changes required to speed limits and possibly weight limits. This will be in the context of any further possible housing developments adjacent to Eastern Way and the A3102. It will be crucial that those elected in May next year at both town and unitary levels have this on their list of priorities and follow it through.”
The road’s delayed opening drew widespread frustration from residents of Snowberry Lane, who campaigned for its completion while highlighting damage to homes caused by the volume of traffic using their street. A condition in the Hunters Wood estate planning approval stipulated that the road should open after 350 of the estate’s 450 homes were occupied. However, despite the threshold being met, the road remained closed, prompting an application by developers to remove the requirement entirely.
Wiltshire Council faced a backlash for failing to enforce the condition, with critics accusing the authority of prioritising developer interests over community safety.
Due to Wiltshire Council’s ongoing censorship of Melksham News, the publication was unable to obtain a response from the authority regarding residents’ concerns.
