QUEUES around the Sixways Roundabout are impacting residents’ quality of life, councillors claim.
Worcester Liberal Democrats are calling for National Highways and Worcestershire County Council to tackle congestion at junction 6 of the M5.
They say traffic tailbacks are not only causing significant delays but are creating safety risks and impacting those living in nearby areas such as Warndon Villages.
Councillors are calling for a review of traffic light sequencing at Sixways Roundabout and a full traffic management review of the area.
Resident and business owner Stuart Wild said: “During the evening peak period, the queue of traffic on Berkeley Way waiting to enter the junction 6 roundabout is horrendous, even stretching past and blocking the roundabout near the Premier Inn.
“And when you get to the front of the queue it’s obvious why. Only one car at a time can get onto the roundabout because of the phasing of the lights to the right at the top of the northbound slip road from the M5.”
Craig Cliff, who lives in Warndon Villages, said: “I have to use it on a daily basis. It can take me 20 minutes or more some days to do less than a few hundred feet. The improvement works on this roundabout should have helped ease this problem, but it's made it worse.”
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Cllr Sarah Murray said: “The congestion around junction 6 has become a daily headache for local commuters and residents.
“The traffic backing up along Berkeley Way is not only inconvenient but has started to affect local businesses and create safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Cllr John Rudge said: “Reviewing the traffic light timing at Sixways is a key step, and improving traffic flow around junction 6 must become a priority for the council, particularly given the impact this issue is having on daily life.”
Fiona McKenzie, programme development manager at National Highways, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve traffic flows and are seeking to commission a signalling review to see if anything can be done to reduce delays and improve queuing at the junction.”
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council, said: “We will support National Highways with any future review that they undertake on the traffic signals on the roundabout.”
A previous version of this story wrongly referred to National Highways by its previous name, Highways England.
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