ONE of Somerset’s most notorious roads, the A361 Frome bypass, has seen extra road markings and reflectors in a bid to improve road safety.
Somerset Council has said it will also cut back vegetation on the stretch of road to increase visibility for motorists as well as implementing more signs warning people to watch their speed.
The move comes following a meeting with Anna Sabine MP (Frome and East Somerset, Lib Dem), Avon and Somerset Police and Somerset Council, with the council agreeing to these short-term cost-effective measures.
Somerset Council also said it it will look at creating a larger scheme to solve some of the issues once it “fully understand the root cause of these incidents.”
The area has seen several fatalities over the past two years – the most recent being the death of a young man who crashed into a lorry last month between the Marston Road and Blatchbridge roundabouts.
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A spokesperson for the council previously told your Leveller it could take at least two years before any kind of significant road safety improvements are made due to a lack of relevant funding as a result of the council’s financial emergency.
Anna Sabine said she is concerned with the two year time scale for significant improvements, but welcomed the recent short-term changes.
“I’m concerned, but I also understand they need to work out what the issues are across Somerset and prioritise the most serious for funding,” she said.
“But I’m really pleased they are making these initial improvements and I’ll keep advocating for more substantial changes in due course.”
A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: “Our meeting with the MP and police touched on some immediate measures which are being taken and on looking at a larger scheme which can be developed, funded and prioritised once we fully understand the root cause of these incidents.
“Immediate measures which are underway include extra lining, signage, reflectors and cutting back vegetation to improve visibility, as well as extra warning signs.”
“We cant keep losing lives on local roads.”
While the stretch of the A361 in its entirety around Frome has been an area of concern for Somerset Council, the junction with the A362 could see some major safety improvements – as advocated by Ms Sabine.
“At the A361/A362 junction I want the highways team at Somerset (Council) to come up with a long term plan to make the junction safer.
“I’m not a traffic engineer but I think we need to reduce speeds on the A361 and increase visibility for joining traffic from the A362 – we know it can be done as it has been on stretches of the A36, for example at Woolverton.”
She added: “I also hear from constituents across the Frome and East Somerset area about speeding and accidents on our A roads.
“I’ve been meeting with road safety charities and victims and road safety is going to be a key campaign area for me as a local MP.
“We cant keep losing lives on local roads.”
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We are acutely aware of the ongoing concerns regarding road safety on the A361 near Frome and are working closely with Somerset Council and other stakeholders to analyse the complex factors contributing to recent fatal and serious injury collisions.
“This collaborative approach helps us identify the root causes and inform decisions on longer-term safety improvements for the area.
“Immediate measures proposed by Somerset Council, which include enhanced road markings, new warning signage, reflectors, and the cutting back of vegetation to improve visibility are positive steps towards reducing risk on this stretch of road.
“Alongside physical improvements to the road, driver education and robust enforcement of traffic laws are essential parts of our broader commitment to road safety across the region. We will continue to work collaboratively with Somerset Council and other partners to address these issues.”
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These issues are nothing new to this area, my family have lived in the area for over 20 years and have lost many friends in RTC. Yes, speed can play a factor on occasion but I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen risky overtakes due to being sat behind someone who is so fearful being behind the wheel making other road users frustrated. I would argue peoples confidence and lack of ability causes more risk than reducing a speed of what is a very straight open section of road. Accidents happen and yes it is traumatic but we all must acknowledge that risk every time we drive any type of vehicle and it is our own responsibility and to ensure we reach our destination safety. In addition to lowering speed limits, this will increases the traffic and bottlenecks ultimately will increase pollution which is mosts aim, very rarely safety as London is a prime example of greed and publicity to this cause. I really could go on regarding this issue and the frustration the narrow minded view people really have.