Single file safety trial set for village road

Water-filled barriers will create a wider path by the pub to make it safer for pedestrians

A Dorset village is due to trial a traffic calming layout, using water-filled barriers.

The barriers, along with cameras and a speed radar, will go up on the A354 in Milborne St Andrew, which connects Blandford to Dorchester.

It will widen a 131ft (40m) stretch of the path by the Royal Oak pub, creating a give- and-take single file lane for traffic.

Dorset Council said it hoped the change would improve pedestrian safety and manage vehicle speeds through the centre of the village.

The three-week trial will see the temporary layout in place from 14 October to 1 November.

Eastbound drivers will be required to give way to vehicles from the west throughout.

Jon Andrews, Dorset Council cabinet member for place services, said: "Following a traffic management study, the parish council asked us to develop a design to enhance the pedestrian environment while helping to manage traffic through the village centre."

He said the temporary layout would save the expense and "unnecessary inconvenience for drivers" of removing a permanent installation if it proved "problematic".

If the temporary scheme was successful, the parish council would liaise with residents before finalising any permanent plans, Mr Andrews added.

Dorset Council is funding the trial and said Milborne St Andrew Parish Council would pay for the layout if it became permanent.