The junction of Alexandra Way and the A46 in Tewkesbury is a point of significant concern for many local residents, business owners and employees on the industrial estate.

Traffic travelling on the A46 routinely blocks the exit of Alexandra Way at peak times, stopping all traffic from exiting the industrial estate. The lights can change from red to green and back two to three times, with no traffic able to move. Even in the photo for this petition, you can see the exit being blocked at a non-peak time due to the bottleneck in the road beyond.

The above results in some motorists entering the wrong side of the road to go around the blockage, which is a blind corner, or ignoring the red lights because they weren't able to go when they were green.

This results in near-misses nearly every day at around 5pm - eventually, there will be a serious crash and potentially a fatality.

On a less serious note, it also means workers on the estate have to rush to get to appointments, school & nursery pick-ups and so on because they have had to wait for up to 15 extra minutes to get out of one junction - this could cause more accidents in the local area.

An effective and proven solution to alleviate these risks and improve safety at this critical junction is to paint a yellow hatched box on the A46 at the exit of Alexandra Way. Yellow hatched boxes help maintain the flow of traffic by discouraging drivers from blocking junctions. This simple yet highly effective measure can significantly reduce traffic congestion and minimise the chances of collisions, ensuring safer transit for all motorists and pedestrians in the area.

Gloucestershire Highways wash their hands of the matter and refers any reports of this issue to National Highways.

The National Highways response is that there is currently a guideline that stops vehicles from entering the carriageway towards oncoming traffic, which may cause an accident, so a hatched box can't be painted and that the highway code states that vehicles shouldn't block a junction anyway.

That may be the case in principal, but it does not work in practice. Firstly, vehicles on Alexandra Way are actually entering the wrong side of the carriageway right now and ignoring red lights, presenting a much higher risk of an accident. Secondly, why would hatched boxes be painted anywhere in the country if 'drivers shouldn't block a junction' - the whole point of hatched boxes is to deter blocking behaviour. Thirdly, the hatched box only needs to be across the two lanes closest to the exit of Alexandra Way - the guideline can start after the hatched box and continue to curve around.

The importance of this intervention cannot be overstated. Considering the growing traffic levels on the A46, immediate action must be taken to prevent potential accidents. Statistics reflect that junctions with yellow hatched boxes have witnessed a noticeable reduction in traffic-related incidents, thereby proving the efficacy of this measure.

Join us in urging National Highways, Gloucestershire Highways and Tewkesbury Borough Council to work together to prioritise the safety of our roads by implementing a yellow hatched box at this precarious junction. By signing this petition, you are contributing to a safer road network in Tewkesbury, preventing possible accidents, and potentially saving lives. Let's make our roads safer together.