Village roads 'gridlocked' near A36 road closure

Cafe worker Aliya M'daris said customers had experienced delays on the roads

Villagers have spoken of the problems caused by motorists using their narrow roads as short cuts while major works take place nearby.

A stretch of the A36 running between west Wiltshire and Bath is closed until the spring while contractors stabilise an embankment.

National Highways said sat-navs were being trusted over signposted diversion routes in the Bradford-on-Avon area.

Wiltshire Council admitted new restrictions introduced last week are “not perfect”, including a one-way system, 20mph speed limits and weight restrictions.

The A36 Warminster Road has been closed since August for safety works deemed “essential” by National Highways.

But this has had a knock-on effect, with the situation in Limpley Stoke in particular described as “non-stop gridlock”.

The A36 near Bradford-on-Avon is due to be closed until the spring of 2025

Aliya M'daris, who works at the Galleries Community Shop and Café in nearby Freshford, told BBC Radio Wiltshire: “A lot of the roads in Freshford and Limpley Stoke are quite small and they don’t have a separating lane, so it’s really hard for cars to know when to give way.

“I’ve had customers come in and say they have been on the road for about 40 minutes coming from the A36 just into Limpley Stoke.

“We have lots of walkers around this part of the country so at the weekends you’ve got pedestrians and cars trying to juggle through without a lot of pavement space at all.”

The road at the B3108 junction in Lower Stoke will be closed southbound under the new changes, limiting access for residents and workers.

'Inevitable disruption'

National Highways route manager Sean Walsh called the situation “challenging” but said carrying out the A36 project now would help prevent a “significantly” longer closure later on.

He said: “Rather than sticking to the diversions that we ask motorists to do, they are transiting through the village, so we are going to put that southbound closure on which is going to result in some disruption for local people. We thank them for their patience.

“There aren’t really any options and the hope is that will dissuade the sat-nav users away from the village.

“When you close a strategic road like this there will be inevitable displaced traffic and disruption.”

The A36 is due to reopen at Limpley Stoke between 18 October and 11 November to allow Wiltshire Council to carry out essential work on the A350.

Council leader Richard Clewer said: “There are no easy answers when a major road is closed, as the A36 currently is.”