Motorists who flout the law by using a newly-designated section of bus-only carriageway on Highwood Road are being warned they could face a £30 fine.
The road has been officially closed to traffic (except buses, taxis and pedal cycles) between its junctions with Durban Road and Coniston Road since Monday 15th October but a significant number of motorists have continued to use it.
The Patchway neighbourhood beat team is now warning drivers of prohibited vehicles to steer clear of Highwood Road or face a fine.
Neighbourhood Sergeant Steve Ives said:
“We have had a number of complaints from local people of motorists ignoring the new traffic regulation, which has been in place for a month now.”
“The change has been well signposted on approach roads by South Gloucestershire Council. Over the next couple of weeks we will be warning drivers who ignore the rules, but by the end of the month we will be enforcing the scheme and issuing fines.”
Drivers heading for The Mall at Cribbs Causeway can use the new Hayes Way from the A38 or the motorway.
Any drivers caught flouting the traffic order on Highwood Road could be fined £30.
Photo: Prohibited vehicles using Highwood Road on 28th October – two weeks after it was officially closed to general traffic.
For the life of me, I seriously cant understand why this road was reduced to buses only? Ok, So taxi’s and bikes are allowed – But surely it was better all round adding a new road to and from Cribbs rather then taking one away.
Local people are complaining now that cars coming down now is a pain, What about those who has to drive extra miles to the same place or even getting stuck in traffic?
I can’t understand how they can closed a main road with a direct route to the mall cribbs causeway. its going to be interesting to see what the traffic in that area over the christmas period. Its a no win situation, you got locals complaining with drivers using coniston road, now they are complaining drivers are still using high wood lane.
living at the top end of patchway i am few up with the extra traffic driving up and down conniston road i can see it being chaoas with the run up to christmas……..over 4000 people were agaist the closure of the road it would be nice if the council gave HONEST answers to who was involved and full reasons in the decision to close Highwood. I dont give a stuff about charton Hayes and Bovis, Patchway was here long before that was even thought of i was told by the council it was to reduce the noise of traffic for our new residents have they not heard of double glazing ?????? if they dont like it dont buy a house there simple
@Nigel
There were a few angry residents at Tuesdays Patchway Town Council Meeting saying the same thing, on the whole Patchway Town Council agree with you and everyone else, we campaigned to keep it open, however when I asked the Councillors from SGC who were present there to explain to members of the public why they did a U Turn and voted to close the road after initially supporting us I was stopped in my tracks and told to stop political point scoring, I didn’t think I was, I’d just like an honest explanation from them just like you, but it seems we can’t have one, so there is no understanding as to why, and no accountability from them why they flip flopped and the WHOLE group of two parties bar one Liberal I think, voted to shut this road.
I’m at my wits end over this, and not political point scoring, it’s not, its personal, I couldn’t give a monkeys if councillors are red, blue, pink or green, but I would like those elected to SGC to be open, honest and transparent with track records in life that show they have integrity, and can be trusted to be fit and proper in office making decisions that cover the economy here and govern peoples lives. Fact is there are some that aren’t, details are on Filton Journal and Google.
For the record I’ve been reported to the standards committee by a couple of them and have been accused of hitting one of them ‘in the body’ which I clearly deny, along with name calling, but admit bad language after a bad meeting with them, I have bullying complaints against one of them and much more besides going to standards in reply, but have no faith in these people either, it’s a club, and won’t be sticking around forever with these people as I don’t need the abuse either.
Something stinks in local democracy here in SGC.
I was at the town council meeting where the police said they would not prosecute any motorist until all the signs that Highwood Road had been closed were in place. They said, and I have see it that there is a sign on the A38 for Cribbs Causeway follow directions to The Mall. At the A38/Hayes Way junction there is nothing. How is after 4 weeks since Highwood Road, South Glos Council cannot get the signs right. It is pure incompetence. Trouble is far too many employees in SGC are chosen to be PC correct first and competence in the job comes a very low second.
I’m none too sure they are PC correct Rebecca, but totally agree they are incompetent!!
Signs are up at both ends telling people this road is closed except to bus ,push bikes ,and taxis.how clearer can you get than that.
And as for cars going onto Coniston road now well thats what they have always done isn’t that what roads are for just because some people don’t like cars going passed their house now ,well sorry you will have to get used to it like other people that have to that also live on busy roads.
Which way are they going to divert traffic when it becomes necessary, in the very near future, to resurface large parts of Coniston Road?
As a frequent visitor to The Mall, I feel the ‘closure’ of Highwood Road will be seen to be a disaster.
Now that the busy Christmas shopping period followed by the sales, is upon us the tail back on the A38 / Hayes way junction will cause conjestion on the A38.
Handy for the new Police Station anyway.
As for going by the motorway, just as bad, unless you go late at night.
All Councils want the Public to use buses etc, which puts them in a good light with central Gov.
I feel sorry for Residents of Patchway and also for those moving into Charlton Hayes. They need to take direct action before something unfortunate happens on Coniston Rd.
As to ‘elected’ South Glos Councillors……….don’t vote for them next time.
Perhaps Sergeant Steve Ives would be better spending some time stopping people using the A38 bus lane as it approaches Aztec West roundabout. That way at the law abiding citizens who wait patiently in the queues would consider his time well spent.
@ Happy
yes cars have always gone up and down Coniston road which i never have complained about ……….the complaint is the extra traffic caused by the closure of highwood is the problem, not just my complaint but that of many others. Coniston road and highwood were here long before the retail park. New residents of charton Hayes know the road layout and have the choice whether to buy a home there or not. The raod surface on coniston is bad enogh allreadyand this extra traffic is only going to make it worse
So with crime rates on the increase, arrests down and burglary’s rocketing this time of year its nice to see our tax payers money being well spent Steve ives. Why catch criminals when you could be after law abiding car users that are protesting over a pointless road closure that not only causes traffic chaos but that over 3000 residents opposed! Oh silly me i thought i was living in the world of common sense!
Flower
Where is or was the traffic chaos you are talking about there hasnt been any ,ok there is more traffic going up Coniston but it isn’t as bad as some places in S G.lets just wait and see what it’s like at Christmas time and than if it does get a build up of traffic than maybe the SGC Councillor will sit up and take notice than ,and anyone going down this road now is not a law abiding car user as you say because they are breaking the law .
As for the road surface yes it’s very bad but aren’t they due to resurface it after Christmas .
HGv’s are now using Coniston Road dispite its 7.5 ton limit, also people are driving across the grass between Sycamore Drive and Highwood to access Highwood road and even worst people are driving along the foot path between Baytree Close and Rodway road, so they don’t have to drive all the way around Coniston, The police notice appears to indicate Motorcycles are also allowed to use Highwood, the traffic order only allowed Buses, Taxis and cycles, has the order been changed or will it only be car drivers fined?
@Chris Mills
I think you might be telling porkys chris just to get a reaction from people ,i have a few friends that live in these places you have said in your comment above and not one of them has said anything like what you have said has happened.
Sorry happy, I have the photos to prove it, The Town Council were shown the photos on Tuesday and SGC have also been informed, they want to put bollards in place to stop it, you appear to claim to know everything thats going on in Patchway and Bradley Stoke, but you really know nothing. to prove my point I will send the pictures to the ed.
You have the courage to call me a liar behind the name of “Happy” when I can’t challenge you face to face,
PS it will also be in the council minutes
I have sympathy for people living on Conniston Rd.. It is alot busier than before the closure! Its going to be alot worse as Christmas gets closer aswell..
I’m sure that this extra traffic will affect house sales in the area. Except the gloried noddy land houses of course.
The only reason for the road closure was to separate the new houses from Patchway.. So they could market them as Filton! Meanwhile Patchway residents have to deal with traffic chaos. The road network worked perfectly fine before! Why mess with it.
Chris I never called you a liar I said you might be telling porkys in a jokey way if you take it the wrong way then I am sorry that your problem not mine ,yes I would like to see the pictures to back up your claims and so would other people.
And as for knowing everything going on in Patchway ,maybe it’s because I live there and like to know what’s going on in my home town and around the area didn’t think that was not allowed .
Like I have said you always seem to want to get people’s backs on a few things you put on here.
Photo from Chris Mills (see his comment above re: Bay Tree Road):
Click to show full-size.
Cars have drove on the grass before like this so it isn’t anything new ,some car owners have no respect for anything or anyone
There’s a letter on this subject in The Bristol (Evening) Post today…
I don’t think they are re-surfacing Coniston after Xmas Happy, but they are going to need to ASAP.
Dave wasn’t there talk of doing them in 2013 sometime
The fact that people are driving on the grass verge astounds me.
Had to go to The mall twice today , I used Coniston Rd, the new road and the naughty road (as did the 3 cars in front of me and the 2 behind)
I wanted to go to the post office in The Spar on the way back from The Mall, it struck me how inconvenient the legal routes were to get there.
As others have pointed out, surely it does not take Einstein to see that Coniston Rd should have been resurfaced before Highwood Rd was closed? What are the idiots at SGC thinking?
Coming from Stoke Gifford, I often have to call at Lloyds TSB before going to Cribbs, what is the best route? up the A38, down the other side, under the flyover (3 sets of traffic lights) or take the easy route via Coniston Rd. …………
@Happy
I asked today if and when Coniston Road is due for re-surfacing, it isn’t before next April, but hopefully will happen in that financial year then as planned by SGC.
The state of all the roads around here is a bone of contention for many, I hope all get attention from SGC as badly needed.
Thanks Dave i thought it was sometime next year lets hope they do all the roads that need it.
Today I meet with traffic officer from SGC today at the lights at the end of Coniston, while I was there talking over the problems with the crossing, where you are expected to stand 2-3 feet back from the road you want to cross and use the button on the right hand post, which is in direct fire of any body cycling from the Mall to Coniston and beyond. I have been promised that they will look at putting (if money in the budget) a Green/Red man box on the other post closer to the road and on the Pedistrian side of the Path. I witness a blue van do a U-turn before the lights, was it because I was stood there with 2 men in high visability jackets. I also pointed out to them that the traffic on Coniston was going to have to be relooked at by School Travel Plans as Children and Parents where finding it increasingly difficult to cross Coniston to get to school. Yes there is a subway at the Parade, yes there is another subway at Falcon/Eagle, but this was at the Arlington/Bevington area of the road, where it bends although we have traffic humps cars are coming down at speed and you are unable to get a cross until some kind motorist takes pity and holds the traffice up for you. Can I remind you that the road is 30 miles an hour and children have to try and cross between parked cars not ideal. I also Challenged them about the heavy lorries using the road when I had been told there was a weight limit on it, told they didn’t know but would like in to it. Do we have to wait for a fatality before SGC will listen to the residents and their representative the Town Council who is constantly championing this for the residents, so much for safer and stronger.
@Elaine Martin
Sorry but there are plenty of safe places to cross Coniston Road how do you think people with Children manage on other busy roads .
Some how I knew @Happy would answer your comment Elaine !!!!!!
And why is that may i ask Chris ,is it because you are waiting to have a go at anyone whom comments on something you dont agree with
@happy
you have an opinion on everything and knowledge about very little, as proven by the number of times you disagree with everyone, you are not prepared to allow anyone a point of view if its not yours, you try to belittle everyone who disagrees with you, as in the porkys comment to me, the thing that sets us apart is most people are open to a genuine point of view, you have a very closed mind and this will be the last time I will reply to the name “Happy” as you do not have the courage of your convictions to put your name on any posts, man up and stand up for what is right in your opinion.
Sorry I always thought this was a comments forum to put what ever point we had across just because I don’t agree on some things wrote on here that makes me wrong ,my opinion is what it is MINE doesn’t me it’s right and I never said it was.And as for not having any knowledge on anything well I beg to differ on that I have seen and done a lot with my life and I can’t help it if you don’t like it that’s your problem not mine.
Can we stop going on about this road and chat about something else please
this road is causing problems for a lot of people i like reading others views
This road closure is the most idiotic and pointless decision ever made!
I live in the middle of patchway and have started to see some affects of the road closure, coniston is alot more busy than it used to be. I used to be able to pull out of my street onto coniston road with ease, now i found myself battling the traffic and waiting up to 5 minutes to pull out. The roundabout that the new link road joins onto is forever congested from shoppers leaving the mall and having no choice but to go straight across, instead of left to highwood road. Not to mention the lorries that are now attempting to drive down coniston, its just dangerous on such a small and busy road.
I really really dont see why this road had to be closed, there are no benefits what so ever. It will be interesting to see how congested cribbs becomes once the xmas shoppers arrive. I hope this road is a complete shambles and causes the council just as many problems as it has caused the residents of patchway and the surrounding area.
I understand that this is an experiment for 18 months and that SGC will consider comments/complaints about the scheme. Are they monitoring posts such as these or do the complaints have to be posted on their website (or similar). It would be a shame if all of the above posts are not available for their consideration.
@NeilB. Irrespective of whether SGC is monitoring this page or not, I’m pretty sure the Council will only consider formal comments made using the procedure detailed on the official consultation page, which can be found here:
https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/Exp_TROs_HighwoodRd/consultationHome
It seems that in this age of technological advancement good old SGC has decided not to allow us to use email as a formal form of complaint.
When i see this it always seems like a clever scheme to minimise the amount of complaints.
Any news on the latest for the road closure?
Yes it’s still closed
I live up off sycamore Drive and can not believe how bad the traffic is now.the other day the traffic to go up to the mall at 8:30 in the morning had blocked sycamore off ,so you couldnt even pull out onto coniston.
I watch in horror as i witness patchway high kids dart between traffic trying to cross the roads in unsafe places.
I also followed a sainsbury lorry all the way round.
Its so inconvienient now, i have to drive all the way round coniston to get out of patchway, or to even go to the post office, instead of just pulling out onto High wood road. Charlton Hayes made it clear that they want to be known as Filton not patchway, so why are we going out of our way to involve them
Not sure if the link will work but this is the original response from South Glos when the proposal was first put out for consultation.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1juOhcvvNLpb2hoWXRQOUFxdTg
Not that it is that interesting in itself, but under section 5.8 Transportation it clearly says that access will be controlled by gateway features, and the lane would be “self enforcing”, given its short stretch and that additional enforcement measures would be introduced.
So far, there obviously, there hasn’t been any. It makes you wonder that if the council are going to get such basic assumptions wrong (or blatantly lie about it) then what about the wider impact of the road closure which I doubt has been fully considered
[Ed: I uploaded the document to the Patchway Journal Google Docs account. Mark’s original link didn’t work – as far as I know it’s impossible to create a permanent link to an individual document within a planning application on SGC’s new planning portal.]
Sorry Patchway I had to use Coniston this evening due to Hayes Way being blocked back to The Mall because of the accident.
While I was waiting at the lights to turn in to Coniston, 4 cars (that were clearly not taxis) and a lorry drove up the closed section and at least one car in front of me drove down it.
Police warnings clearly not working !!!
In times like what we had tonight with the traffic build up due to a lorry going over maybe then and only then could they not let us all use Highwood road just for that reason ?.
When will anyone in the Council or the Police start stopping people going up Highwood Road there are cars still going up that Part of Highwood road which is closed off.
Doesnt matter if you agree or not they are all still breaking the law .The signs have blown down now by Charlton Hayes entrance and people cant see them so anyone going past Callicroft road is oblivious to the fact .
I know people have been going on about this road and they will keep doing so but the Law is the Law so they should abide by it as all the others have .
i overlook what was the airfield and have discovered there was a well which could have been filled in by the builders,there has been complaints of flooding in the gardens,if this is true then we need to contact sgc to discuss this, as for highwood road it is a complete disaster which has left callicroft rd,hazeldene and southsea completely isolated.if you drive up highwood lane to turn into callicroft rd you will see a sign saying patchway turn right,where do i live then.i will be asking for a council tax reduction,if anyone else in the roads mentioned feels the same way we need to get together to take some sort of action.to get to the mall i have got to do a massive circle to get to charlton hayes ring road.
I would like to say as a new resident of Patchway or Charlton Hayes the bloody road closure is a nightmare all the traffic now comes in to Charlton Hayes and gets lost Bovis have sold us up the river as they were selling the houses here saying close to th Mall not any more i feel sorry for the people who live in the side roads of Patchway as they are now filled with cars
Another photo from Chris Mills, who writes:
“Tyre tracks on the verge between Sycamore Drive and Highwood Road. Bovis leveled the ground last Thursday and somone drove across it sometime on Monday.”
Click to enlarge.
Maybe put a barrier across to stop this sort of thing
Personally I think we should ignore the signs and keep travelling up and down Highwood Road. It wasn’t our decision to shut the road so lets all stick together and continue using it. I have spoken to many Patchway residents who feel the same way. I have seen HGV lorries travelling along Coniston Road and it’s quite scary especially when Patchway Community College students come through the Aztec West cut through and spill out on to the road.
I have to agree with some comments on here about the road being closed in the middle ,I maybe don’t agree with the road closed off it the middle of Highwood road but to blantenly say you will ignore the law is so stupid on all levels what sort of example is that to teach our children .
When the law is clearly wrong as in the case of closing Highwood Road, I think the public are fully justified in flouting the law. History is littered with people who have broken the law when it is wrong. I wouldn’t have the vote today if my ancestors hadn’t ‘broken the law’
24/11/12 between 5.35 pm and 6.oo pm, I counted the number of vehicles which passed my home to and from Highwood Rd.
131 to Highwood Rd and 187 from Highwood Rd. = 318
12.7 vehicles passed my home per minute.
I would say that the traffic has been successfully transferred from Highwood Road to Coniston Road. I would like to see the Police monitor Coniston Road the speeds at which some of the vehicles travel is very dangerous.
I totally agree with Hazel Dene and don’t forget the closure was agreed 10 years ago by Councillors who are not in “power” anymore. This should have been looked at again by people who live in Patchway and who know the roads!!!
But roads are meant to be used we cant always have it our way and have a few cars use it ,you only have to look at Brooke way .Its because there are more cars on the road than say 10 or even 20 years ago when this idea was first brought up .
And by breaking the Law as a few people have said isn’t the way to teach others.two wrongs don’t make a right
In reply to Happy, yes, roads are meant to be used but I’ve lived in Patchway all my life over 55yrs and ‘Highwood Rd’ or the by-pass as it’s always been known was made for that reason to by-pass Patchway and take any heavy traffic from going through the minor roads , which is what the council has now made happen. Most of the minor roads of Patchway eg Stroud, Worthing and Durban have now become rat runs and speed tracks .
@sue
you have to realise the plans for all of these changes were draw up over 20 odd years ago when there wasnt so many cars on the road as today ,sometimes it cant be helped if you want to blame anyone blame all the people with 2 or more cars to a family .
@Happy
Come on, be reasonable. Who said they were drawn up 20 years ago anyway btw? The fact there are more cars on the road is myriad, population boom for starters, but if there are more cars on roads then unless viable alternatives are made available to all then don’t close roads and increase gridlock surely? That should have been in forecasts by the planners too, why do you think they are building more houses here?? Don’t tell me to get on the rip off first buses either (not that you did!), and btw I cycle to work everyday, as a member of a one car family.
The relief road is great, but I re-iterate, it’s not a relief road if you close the road it relieves!
The madness of SGC.
@Dave
The plans for what they wanted to do on what is now Charlton Hayes where started over 20 years ago .I remember people talking about plans to build on it and that was over 20years ago ,just ask a few people in Callicroft road and they will tell you what you need to know.
hopefully its only for 18 months but untill then we have to abide by the law and not use it untill it reopens to All traffic .Fingers crossed.
We also need a better form of Transport all around .
@Happy
Sure sure the plans to build on the airfield have been apparent a long time, triggered by the initial sale of the North Field, and even before the closure was announced the new road’s roundabouts had roads leading onto the airfield which kind of gave SGC and BAE’s game away.
I wouldn’t say Highwood’s closure was planned as long tho’, but it should have been stopped sooner by previous administrations and Councillors who sleptwalked into it and didn’t raise the concerns of residents that they were given.
However, the mess it has become means I live in hope that over 4000 people will not be ignored next time after the ‘trial’ so Ihope it’s not a show trial.
It’s a road that was built to deal with the heavier traffic, unlike Coniston, and it is currently going to waste, even though it’s no longer a dual carriageway it’s much more useful than a Bus and Taxis and Cyclists Only road, it just seems silly to me, not a change for the better.
Indeed, our transport problems are grave all over Greater Bristol, let’s hope the new Mayor for Bristol and some joined up thinking by those councils all around finally get a solution off the ground…
Im aghast at why the road has been shut. I don’t know of any residents complaining about the road being too busy before its closure so I think it was a decision the council took without considering residents views. I do abide by the new signs now, when many still don’t, but it takes me longer to get to the mall & the little roads are becoming congested (I use Durban road). To have it as a bus lane seems insane … I know of only 3 bus routes that use it … What a waste of a perfectly good road! Let’s hope its reopened in just under 18 months time when this ‘experimental closure’ is over!
it is what nightmares are made off,you couldnt make it up,i was driving away from the mall to get to the mall,i was driving parallel to the mall to get to the mall,i had to negotiate 3 roundabouts,3 sets of lights to travel what is probably a mile on a perfectly good road,not to mention more petrol,increased congestion, fumes,increased chance of an accident,councellors ,you couldnt make it up.
One of the houses in my street is owned by South Glos councillors who were renting it out. Funnily enough I haven’t seen them since the road closure has occured. Perhaps they find the road access more difficult now…
@Jen
Funnily enough I doubt you’ll find either of those two councillors in either of the houses they have put as their addresses, their neighbours tell me both are rented out, (I work with their Stoke Lodge neighbours.) They breed horses where they live elsewhere in the county apparently. Not a crime either way to be fair.
But; two councillors who don’t live in Patchway, let alone Stoke Lodge have successfully campaigned for Stoke Lodge not to be in Patchway. And voted to shut its main road, after initially campaigning for it to remain open…Flip! Flop.
You couldn’t make it up, and I don’t!
Vote them out if they are not doing the job
Don’t worry Happy, I am waiting to cast my vote!
you and many others i think