Dorset Council has put in place with immediate effect, changes to the town centre temporary traffic lights and made Stafford Road one way, but long traffic queues are still building up.
The temporary traffic light scheme was put in place in February 2020, while Institute Road is closed for improvement works, but drivers have been left frustrated sitting for a long time at red lights.
In a statement, Dorset Council said:
Drivers had been running the red signals which caused the entire traffic light set-up to reboot and lock up on red for a time, hence delays being experienced by motorists.
Last Wednesday 4th March 2020, a meeting took place with the signals provider, together with officers from Dorset Council and Swanage Town Council, the Town Mayor, and the Chairman of the Council’s Roads and Transport Committee. It was agreed at the meeting to amend the set-up of the signals and make some minor changes to the traffic circulation.
Stafford Road made one-way
As part of their solution, the decision was made to make Stafford Road one-way, so drivers can only go up the hill and not down the hill and join the High Street in the middle of the temporary traffic light scheme. This removes one set of lights from the traffic light sequence.
This afternoon, at the start of the Swanage Blues Festival, the queue of traffic coming into town along the High Street was backed up to the Princess Road turning, just before the start of Court Road.
Dorset Highways drop-in session
A regular Dorset Highways drop-in session for everyone in Swanage to ask questions about roads, is to take place on Thursday 12th March 2020 at the Town Hall between 10 am and 3 pm.
