Bristol bus and low loader jammed together in main road through village

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Bristol bus and low loader jammed together in main road through village


The low loader and bus jammed in Banwell. Picture by Ron Stockbridge

The main street through Banwell was brought to a standstill after a low loader carrying a mobile crusher and a bus became jammed together.

The incident happened earlier today when the two vehicles tried to pass each other on a stretch of the A371 West Street known as the Narrows, near the village's Methodist Church.

The 121 bus, travelling from Bristol to nearby Weston-super-Mare, became stuck against a wall with no room for the low loader, which was travelling out of the village towards Winscombe, to get past.

The road was blocked by the incident for around 20 minutes and large traffic queues built up.

Police were called to the scene and eventually the bus driver had no option but to reverse his vehicle back along West Street to allow the lorry to pass. It is understood that the side of the bus was damaged by scraping along the wall as the driver was forced to reverse backwards.

The drama was captured on camera by local resident Ron Stockbridge.

Ron, 77, who moved to the village two years ago, said: ^We have a lot of problems in the High Street with heavy traffic using it, but I have not seen anything quite as dramatic as this. The bus was jammed right up against the wall. The High Street is very narrow in places and it is not suitable for vehicles such as this.^

Currently lorries and large vehicles of all sizes can travel through the centre of the village, which is known as the Narrows because of its width. The road is so narrow that two cars can only just pass each other and when large vehicles travel through the village it causes gridlock and long tailbacks.

The road through Banwell is designated as part of the Government^s primary route network. In the past there have been calls to remove West Street from the route.

North Somerset Council does not have the authority to introduce an HGV ban on a national primary route and any changes have to be agreed by the Department of Transport.

One solution put forward over the years to solve Banwell's traffic problems is the creation of a bypass, linking the A371 to the A368 on the northern outskirts of the village.

Banwell Parish Council has also been pressing for changes to the road regulations to ease traffic chaos in the village.

The plan is included in North Somerset Council's Core Strategy document but funding for the scheme has never materialised.

[trainer]

What's not obvious looking at the picture is that the lorry is well out in the road to gain clearance to get up the hill through the narrow section and the bus has just passed through the narrowest part of the village and would have had a very long reversal to allow the lorry through.  Both drivers faced with a dilemma I suspect.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Currently lorries and large vehicles of all sizes can travel through the centre of the village, which is known as the Narrows because of its width.

Says it all, really. 

[eightf48544]

Surely a quick solution which could be installed in under an hour, if it wan't for the bureaucracy  invovled, is temporary traffic lights and one way working. As Churchill use to write "Action this Day"

So what if it causes delays it would sort out the problem and maybe deter people from drivng throught the village.

[LiskeardRich]

Surely a quick solution which could be installed in under an hour, if it wan't for the bureaucracy  invovled, is temporary traffic lights and one way working. As Churchill use to write "Action this Day"

So what if it causes delays it would sort out the problem and maybe deter people from drivng throught the village.

Sounds too much like common sense for a local authority.

[trainer]

Surely a quick solution which could be installed in under an hour, if it wan't for the bureaucracy  invovled, is temporary traffic lights and one way working. As Churchill use to write "Action this Day"

So what if it causes delays it would sort out the problem and maybe deter people from drivng throught the village.

Traffic lights worked well during a period of roadworks and I think they should have kept them for at least the busiest times (say 6am-7pm).  They would cause delays because there would need to be three-way lights as another main road joins at a further pinch point a little up the road.

Apropos another topic on bus timetabling, any new delays would have to be accounted for in longer journeys, but they would at least be more predictable.