Decisive action is needed to stop the ongoing traffic problems which are making life a misery for commuters and residents on the A6 between Broughton and Garstang.
Temporary traffic lights close to the former Boar’s Head pub at Barton have been causing long delays for motorists in the area. They are also just the most recent in a seemingly never ending cycle of traffic problems linked to new housing developments between Fulwood and Garstang.
The latest issues have prompted a slew of complaints on social media from Barton residents and road users about the on-off temporary lights.
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They have also led County councillor Maria Jones, the Reform representative for the Preston Rural Division, to call on house builders to shoulder more of the responsibility for the traffic issues their developments create.
For Barton resident Terence Logan, whose house sits by the side of the A6 near Jebbs Lane, the only thing he believes would alleviate the ongoing traffic problems is a new motorway junction near Barton Grange and the Flower Bowl, just south of Garstang.
Speaking to Blog Preston, he said: “The Flower Bowl is a perfect place and would alleviate a lot of the pressure on the A6 and Broughton junction. Preston and Wyre councils need to face this issue and get the house builders to dig deep.”
He added: “My worry is that until they have filled in between Fulwood and Garstang it won’t stop.
“When I moved here with my wife 17-years-ago, there were problems at Broughton but it didn’t matter because we had green fields on both sides of the road. But now, with all the houses that have been built, it has become a nightmare.
“It gets beyond a joke when no one lets you out of your drive and into the traffic on the A6 because they have been sat there for so long, But then again you understand how frustrated they must be.”
The issue of a new motorway junction near Garstang has been discussed for many years and is periodically brought into stark focus when the M6 gets shut by a bad crash in and around Preston, with the tailbacks bringing the area to a standstill.
However, as we reported back in February of this year, National Highways has ruled out looking at the issue of a new M6 junction, in the short term at least.
Cllr Jones said she ‘shared the frustration’ of commuters on the A6 due to the temporary traffic lights at Barton.
She added: “This level of disruption should be considered before developments are given permission and house builders should be strictly required to remove traffic lights when they are no longer needed and ensure they don’t cause such long/unnecessary delays. We need the planning system and the way permissions are granted to change.”
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