Council completes work to improve five pedestrian crossings in Royal Wootton Bassett - with resurfacing work to follow

Wiltshire Council has completed work to improve five pedestrian crossings on the A3102 in Royal Wootton Bassett.

All five upgraded pedestrian crossings are now operational, and the council's contractor will complete some paving and kerbing work at the site early in the new year. Later in spring 2023, the road will be fully resurfaced. This resurfacing was originally scheduled for earlier in the programme, but the council has decided to push this work back to enable Wales and West Utilities to upgrade the gas main without digging up the newly surfaced road.

The five pedestrian crossings upgraded are on the High Street at Street Bartholomew Church; at the post office near Station Road; at the Apsley House shopping arcade; at Lime Kiln; and at Longleaze. The improvements saw the crossings widened to make them safer for pedestrians, and the vehicle stop lines have been moved back to improve both safety and visibility for HGVs as they approach the crossings - which in turn makes it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

At the Lime Kiln junction, the crossing was upgraded to accommodate the large number of people that use it from Royal Wootton Bassett Academy and the leisure centre, and cyclists' safety has also been improved with the introduction of a Toucan crossing. The design of the traffic island was also improved to make walking and cycling more appealing, with the removal of the railings to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross together. The A3102 between the Lime Kiln and Marlowe Way junctions has also been resurfaced.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "We're delighted that this work has been completed and that the people of Royal Wootton Bassett can now benefit from safer, easier to use crossings through the centre of the town.

"There are a couple of things still to do, including resurfacing, but it made sense to delay this while we wait for Wales and West Utilities to upgrade the gas main - as we couldn't lay a fresh surface, only to have it dug up again a few weeks later.

"In our Business Plan we have committed to providing engineering solutions to improve road safety, and these crossing improvements do just that.

"Throughout these works, we have had traffic management in place to minimise disruption, and we have also worked closely with the town council to ensure that key dates such as Remembrance Sunday were not affected by the work.

"I'd like to thank the town council for its support throughout the scheme and to the residents and businesses for their understanding and cooperation."

The improvements were primarily funded with £500,000 from the Department for Transport's (DfT) Traffic Signal Maintenance fund, which the council was awarded last year.