Frustration over temporary lights up near Berkeley for two years

A review of temporary traffic lights that have caused “disruption” for drivers for nearly two years will take place, the county council says.

The lights were installed in Station Road near Berkeley, Gloucestershire, in late 2023 while Wales and West Utilities (WWU) worked to relocate a gas main onto private property so a nearby railway bridge can be repaired.

Lindsey Green, a Stroud District councillor, has called on Gloucestershire County Council to consider a one-way priority system instead.

County councillor Stephen Davies said WWU had been “slow to complete” the work. WWU said the works needed “numerous permissions” and once these were agreed, “we can then begin the work as requested”.

“We are currently working with the council and other stakeholders on ways to facilitate the diversion of the gas main,” a spokesperson for the WWU said.

Green added residents “rightly” wanted to “know when this disruption will finally come to an end”.

“Many people have raised with me that the temporary traffic lights are not only unreliable but also unnecessary.”

“On several occasions, when the lights have been out of action, traffic has flowed without issue,” she said.

The traffic lights are located near a railway bridge, which requires essential structural repairs, but in order for these to take place, the council have requested that Wales and West Utilities divert their gas main, which runs beneath it.

County councillor Joe Harris, highways maintenance cabinet member, said: “We continue to press Wales and West Utilities to treat this as a priority.

“Relocating a major gas main onto private land is a complex process that involves negotiations, legal agreements and engineering works, which has contributed to the slow progress.”

He explained temporary traffic signals had cost £15,206 to date: “Until this is complete, we cannot begin the essential structural repairs the bridge needs.

“While delays by Wales and West Utilities have been a factor, the poor condition of the bridge itself means that the traffic management cannot be attributed solely to them.”

“I’m more than happy to review the present arrangements. We can look at alternative options,” he said.

Davies said: “The root cause of this delay lies with Wales and West Utilities, who have been slow to complete the necessary works that will allow Gloucestershire County Council to carry out essential repairs to the bridge itself.”

A spokesperson for Wales and West Utilities said: “Earlier this year, we agreed to a request from the council to divert a gas main running beneath a railway line in the Station Road area of Berkeley.

“These works take time to plan and require numerous permissions from nearby facilities and landowners.

“We are currently working with the council and other stakeholders on ways to facilitate the diversion of the gas main. Once these are agreed, we can then begin the work as requested.”