The Bradley Stoke Journal

An article in today’s Bristol Evening Post claims shoppers have been put off from using Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre following the installation of speed humps back in November last year.

The humps on the approach road to the centre are said to be giving customers “too much of a jolt” and the obstacles are alleged to be causing traffic congestion because vehicles have to “virtually stop before driving over them”.

The story will be familiar to Journal readers as we covered it two months ago when the humps were first installed.

The paper quotes Bradley Stoke Town Councillor Keith Cranney as saying:

“… the centre should be doing everything it could to encourage customers in times of economic austerity – not put them off.”

“I’ve had a lot of complaints about this and it was raised at a recent forum meeting where someone said they wouldn’t be shopping there again.”

Members of the Bradley Stoke Police Beat Team which has a base at the centre, however, expressed different views in a presentation to a Town Council meeting last Wednesday.

More: Humps are "helping the cause" says PCSO »

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Work is due to start today (5th September) on the implementation of a series of traffic calming measures at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre.

The Centre says the measures are designed to help drivers obey the speed limits that are currently in place throughout the car park and on the approach road, ensuring pedestrian safety is paramount.

The measures are said to include improved signage, speed tables and speed cushions.

Andy Oram, Operations Manager at the Willow Brook Centre said:

“As part of our ongoing commitment to the improvement of the Centre we will be beginning some traffic calming work week commencing Monday 5th September, 2011.  This work is being carried out to reduce the speed of vehicles entering and leaving the site, therefore improving the safety of customers who visit the Centre. The work will involve installing speed cushions on the approach road to the Centre, the road running along the top of the car park plus the front of the Mall and Non Food Terrace.”

“This will be carried out in phases as part of our commitment to reducing the inconvenience to customers and maintaining normal trading and car parking availability.”

The Centre’s car park was recently given the ‘Park Mark’ Safer Parking Award in recognition of measures put in place to provide a safe environment designed to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.

CCTV cameras installed without warning at three roundabouts on Bradley Stoke Way on Monday are counting traffic, according to South Gloucestershire Council [SGC].

Two cameras were installed on each of the Patchway Brook, Webbs Wood and Baileys Court roundabouts, along with equipment boxes belonging to a company called Count on Us.

A number of curious Journal readers contacted us on Monday to ask if we knew what the cameras were for, so we asked the Council for a statement.

An SGC spokesperson told us today:

“The cameras have been installed as part of a programme of traffic counts across the district. The temporary cameras will be taken down tomorrow (Wednesday) and moved to new locations, some within Bradley Stoke, to begin monitoring on Thursday for the day.”

Works on Patchway Railway Bridge that will require the closure of of the southbound lane of the B4057 for a period of approximately six months [see previous story in The Journal] have been delayed by one week. The restrictions were due to come into force today (19^th May), but signs at the bridge are now showing a start date of 26^th May.

A source at South Gloucestershire Council’s Highways Department confirmed the slippage, citing an overrun on work to re-route gas and electricity services.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has announced that works on the Patchway Railway Bridge, due to start on 19^th May 2008, will require closure of the southbound lane of the B4057 (shown in red in the map above) for a period of approximately six months. The northbound lane will remain open to vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes only.

The bridge links the interchange on the A38 Gloucester Road with Patchway Roundabout, from which the Highwood Road dual carriageway leads on to The Mall and Cribbs Causeway.

The announcement on the SGC website states that:

Traffic diversions will be put in place for the duration of the works and details of the diversions can be found at www.southglos.gov.uk/patchwaybridge. Pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge safely on a separate footway. Bus services will continue as normal but will follow the same diversion routes as the traffic.

The bridge will need to be closed completely overnight for two periods of up to 15 days and also for two whole weekends. Exact closure dates are not yet known and signs will be erected on site to provide advance notice of when this will happen.

Traffic from Bradley Stoke and Little Stoke wishing to reach Patchway and The Mall will be directed southbound down the A38 before making a U-turn under the Rolls Royce flyover and heading back towards Patchway Roundabout. The M5 motorway route may be more convenient for some journeys.