'Gridlock' problems being 'urgently' looked at

Options to alleviate congestion are being looked at "urgently" after commuters said several sets of roadworks were leading to short journeys taking several hours on "gridlocked" roads.

A major bus route has had to be diverted and there have been reports of residents missing hospital and court appointments after the flyover on the A38 in Filton, north of Bristol, was closed on Monday.

The traffic problems have been compounded by other work on nearby Bradley Stoke Way, emergency work on Orpheus Avenue and several other bridges being closed.

South Gloucestershire Council said the work had been planned for the summer holidays "when traffic volumes are normally lower".

The council added that a right-turn from Gipsy Patch Lane towards Hayes Way was "closed in error" on Monday creating traffic issues "felt for large parts of the day", with the problems made worse by vehicles diverted into the area following a crash on the M5.

The flyover is due to remain closed until 31 August, with the nearly 50-year-old structure requiring extensive maintenance work, but residents say the traffic issues are being exacerbated by a number of other roadworks in the area.

'This is hopeless'

Christine Butler, 60, spent three hours on her commute from Patchway to Filton on Monday - a journey that usually takes 20 minutes.

In all her 40 years of living in the area she said she had "never" seen traffic like it, describing the roads as "gridlocked".

"I didn't realise it was going to be this bad," she said, describing how she had heard of people missing hospital and court appointments as a result of the traffic issues.

"A lot of people were pulling over and just getting out their cars, just parking up thinking 'this is hopeless, I'm going to turn around' - it would have been quicker for me to walk really."

The work is not just affecting cars and vans - bus services in the area have also been unable to run normally.

First Bus confirmed on Tuesday that the 75 service, the major route serving the area, was suffering "major disruption" and would be diverted until further notice.

Service Y6 would also be temporarily rerouted, the transport provider said.

Shanice Brake said she had seen patients missing appointments due to traffic

Shanice Brake, 33, from Winterbourne, also got caught up in the traffic chaos with her commute to Cribbs Causeway taking two hours - more than six times the length it would normally be.

Working in healthcare, she said she had seen patients having to be turned away because they were so late for their appointments, with some even calling to say they were "stuck" on their way in.

Both she and Ms Butler expressed their "frustration" at how little work they could see being done along the closures, as well as their concerns that they had seen people carrying out illegal manoeuvres on the A-road.

"All I saw was a lot of colleagues on their phones or just sorting signs out, and you're thinking 'if this is going to take four weeks please let them be working 24/7 to fix this'."

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said the authority was "urgently looking into options for changing traffic light sequencing" and would "monitor traffic flows to see where we can make changes"

"We appreciate drivers' frustration and apologise for unnecessary delays, however bridge maintenance and improvements do need to happen for the long term benefit of those drivers and other road users for the long term," they added.