Disappearing roundabout sparks concern in Westbury

A ROUNDABOUT near Westbury town centre has sparked safety concerns amongst residents and local businesses, with faded road markings causing confusion for motorists.

A mini-roundabout that connects Warminster Road (A350), Haynes Road (A350) and Bratton Road (B3098) has worn away to the point that some drivers are unaware that the roundabout exists. Markings that indicate drivers should give way have also faded.

Local resident Lesley Wilson had a lucky escape last week when she was almost involved in a collision involving two other cars when using the roundabout. “It’s very confusing,   especially for drivers who are new to the area,” she said. “The markings have practically disappeared, so people driving on the A350 think they can keep on going. It was a real shock what happened to me this morning. Thankfully no-one was hurt and we managed to avoid hitting each other, but it was very close!”

Businesses situated next to the roundabout have a front seat for the chaos taking place on the roundabout. George Drake who works as a negotiator for Allen & Harris said, “We’ve seen a  couple of accidents and a fair few near misses.

“There has definitely been a rise in the number of people honking their horns, in fact not a moment goes by when there isn’t someone beeping their horn in frustration.

“It’s fine if you know the area, but for those people unfamiliar with the road, it isn’t obvious that there is a roundabout, so they drive straight through it.”

Shop manager for the Imperial charity shop, Paul Cox said, “It’s always been a bad roundabout. Better road markings might have an effect on the number of near misses there.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said, “We are aware of this issue, and would always encourage people to drive sensibly. The roundabout is clearly signed on the approaches, however we will be refreshing the white lines after we have carried out some repairs to the road surface.”

The council could offer no timescale as to when the repairs would begin.