Councillor wants two mini-roundabouts at busy Bath Road junctions in Nailsworth

Cllr Steve Robinson says he will be pushing for two separate mini-roundabouts to be installed close to one another on Bath Road.

He hopes the first will be created at the junction with Old Bristol Road and the other at the junction with Park Road, alongside a safety island for pedestrians.

The Labour councillor, who also sits on the town council, says action must be taken to stop another serious accident from taking place.

It follows an incident two weeks ago when three people, believed to be a family, were taken to hospital after their van veered off Bath Road and fell 10ft into Butcher Hill’s Lane.

Witnesses said the van had swerved to avoid a car turning out of Old Bristol Road before flying off the road, crashing through road signs and plummeting down the bank.

A man and woman managed to climb out of the van, which ended up on its side, but a teenage boy – believed to be their son – had to be freed by firefighters.

“We were all shocked by that incident, so now I want to take steps to make sure it doesn’t it happen again,” said Cllr Robinson.

“Over the last few years I’ve received many complaints from residents in Park Road regarding the speed of traffic heading out of Nailsworth towards Bath.

“Both can be quite a tricky spots to pull out of when it is busy. Cars and lorries come flying down the hill despite the 30mph speed limit.

“When drivers try to exit Park Road they sometimes even receive rude gestures from speeding drivers on the main road.

“I think it is imperative that something is done at this junction before there is another serious accident. Traffic must be slowed down to make it safer for both cars and pedestrians.

“When the development of the Ringfield sheltered housing in Park Road takes place I will push for a grant from the developer to install two mini roundabouts.

“If we’re going to have 20 or so houses there the area will need improvement anyway. Hopefully we’ll be able to install a safety island for pedestrians crossing the road too.”

Cllr Robinson plans to work alongside developers and Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to progress the idea.

While the development of Ringfield isn’t expected to take place until at least the middle of next year, he is hoping to start gathering feedback and ideas from the community.

Meanwhile, councillors in Nailsworth are preparing to present plans to reduce the speed limit through the town to 20mph. This will be handed to GCC for consideration in the coming weeks.