Calls to speed up work to finish new link road

Councillor Steve Trevelyan said he felt drivers were trying to avoid a 30mph limit on the road

People have called for more urgency to finish work on a new link road in Cornwall.

Part of the A391 was opened in May 2025 to link St Austell with the A30 and divert vehicles away from villages such as Roche and Bugle.

But councillor Steve Trevelyan said there had been minimal change to traffic levels in Bugle as drivers avoided a temporary 30mph (48.2km/h) speed limit in force while work on other parts of the new road continued.

Cornwall Council said construction was expected to be completed in the next two to three months and the 30mph limit had been installed to keep workers safe.

Trevelyan, the Reform councillor for Roche and Bugle at Cornwall Council, said the ongoing work and 30mph zone meant motorists found it quicker to use the old route through the villages.

"It seems like there's no urgency," the councillor said.

"This speed restriction could be here for a long time, even up to Christmas.

"It's almost like the people of Bugle just have to put up with it."

Garry Tregidga, co-chairman of Bugle and Stenalees Community Speedwatch, said the situation with traffic going through Bugle had not improved.

"I think the situation is just getting worse if anything," Mr Tregidga said.

"People are naturally going to travel whatever route they find most appropriate to their needs."

Garry Tregidga said the A391 had not made any difference to traffic in Bugle

John Callingham, who lives in Bugle, said things were "not noticeably better" since the A391 opened.

Like Trevelyan, he felt the 30mph zone on the road was the issue.

"Anyone local still drives through Bugle because it's quicker," Mr Callingham said.

The council said once the construction work was completed, the temporary speed limit would be lifted.

"Whilst we understand the frustration of drivers, the alternative would have been to have kept the new road closed and previous lengthy diversions in place over the summer," a spokesperson said.