Somerset Council is taking action to reduce deaths and serious injuries at a notorious collision site in the county.
Work will be done by the Council’s contractor Octavius to realign the junction of the B3135 and B3134, known as the Miner’s Arms Junction, near Priddy, where drivers regularly fail to stop, despite clear signage. Traffic is usually travelling at speed from all directions.
According to Avon and Somerset Police figures, in the last 20 years there have been 35 known collisions at the site – it is suspected that there have been a significant number of other, unreported incidents.
Of the 35 reported collisions, there have been 11 serious collisions, three of which were fatal. In the last seven years there have been two fatalities, two serious collisions and eight other less serious collisions.
Work commences on Monday, April 29, and the scheme is expected to be complete by July. It involves junction realignment, including a new section of road and associated landscaping; signing; lining; drainage work and a reduced speed limit . It is anticipated most of the work will be done using temporary traffic lights, although some short closures will be required and advance notice of these will be given nearer the time.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Executive Lead Member for Transport and Digital said:
Many people will be familiar with this difficult junction – it was identified as priority some years ago but due to the scope of the work required it has taken some time to identify and ringfence funding for this.
I’m really pleased to see this happening – the statistics speak for themselves, something has to be done.
“We appreciate there may be some minor disruption while our contractor does the work, which we will keep to a minimum. I think we can agree it’s worth it to ensure the chance of death or serious injury on this junction is significantly reduced.
Chief Inspector Robert Cheeseman, Head of Roads Policing at Avon and Somerset Police said:
Our primary concern is always road safety, and we recognise that road design plays a critical role in mitigating risks on our roads. The proposed changes are a positive step towards reducing the potential for collisions.
Somerset Council’s Road Safety Team, backed by Avon and Somerset Police is running the Fatal Five campaign highlighting dangerous driving behaviours and aimed at reducing fatal collisions on the county’s roads.
You can find out more about the campaign here.
