CONCERN about the safety of the A361 by-pass is still brewing in the community, as another local person calls for safety measures to be put in place to improve the layout of the junction where the A361 meets the A362.
The resident raised concern at the full town council meeting on Wednesday 6th September, telling councillors that the junction is ‘a recipe for disaster.’
“I wanted to raise an issue about the junction where [the A361] meets the A362 and say just how dangerous it is,” says the resident. “I regularly have to use that junction for work or going to and from various parts of Frome. It is a common occurrence to see very near misses with traffic ,whether they’re coming out of the junction, or whether they’re going in.
“Often my commute to and from work is disrupted by accidents that have happened on that exact junction. And I just wanted to ask whether there was something that could be done to make that junction safer. There are a lot of tourists that use that junction but don’t understand the dangers of it and will flash people to come out and cross, when they haven’t checked their wing mirrors. It’s the layout that I mainly take issue with because it’s just a recipe for disaster.”
The call for change follows a petition that has been set up by another resident, campaigning for the speed limit of the A361 by-pass to be reduced from 60mp to 40mph, following some recent fatal crashes that have happened on the road.
It also follows cllr Anita Collier’s request last month, asking Frome Town Council to contact Somerset Council to explore ways to improve safety of the road and junction, such as installing traffic lights or a roundabout at the A361 to A362 junction.
She said, “I’ve been told a roundabout isn’t possible because of the facility of the railway line. Clearly traffic lights and all those things are a major cost at the moment when Somerset isn’t that well off, so we’ve got to be mindful of the costs involved in these things.”
“[This is something very close to my heart] I am part of the Speedwatch group and I am very closely in touch with the police and the speed enforcement units. I’ve learned this week, that there will be a speed enforcement unit on the bridge between the Commerce Park area and the entrance to Oldford, which is a starting point. They will be watching from there to look at speeding vehicles on the A361.
“I am also attending a meeting in October with the Speed Enforcement Unit and the police to talk about all safety issues in and around Frome, which has become very serious following those fatalities. It’s in hand, we are very conscious of the danger of it all and certainly we are hoping that there will be some action taken.”
Cllr Martin Dimery said, “I’m pleased to have negotiated with Somerset Traffic Management to take action to reduce accidents here. They will be assessing the site soon to decide on what new measures are appropriate to avoid further incidents.”
