Roundabout to solve Welwyn danger road?

A ROUNDABOUT could be installed to make a main road through a village safer.

With cars “whizzing” down the hill in Welwyn, the junction of School Lane, London Road and High Street has long been an issue for motorists – and pedestrians trying to cross.

However, the parish council has proposed building a roundabout, a bid that has been accepted by Herts Highways.

Chairman John Blackburn, a London Road resident, said he was also focused to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

He told the WHT: “What people want is to make crossing the lane safer.

“If people agree then we are, in principle, all for it.”

But county councillor Richard Smith was doubtful if the roundabout would actually make traffic on the road any slower.

“People whizz down there and it is a bit scary for people who are not mobile,” he said.

“It will have some benefits but I do not think it will do too much with the drivers who do speed.

“It also depends on how it is signed and marked on the road.”

Welwyn villager Bob Bryant said he was against the plan.

He told the WHT: “It would mean losing the parking places by the phone box at the bottom of School Lane.

“What the village needs is CCTV to stop the illegal parking and drivers ignoring the one-way system, not thousands spent on a roundabout that will achieve nothing.”

A Herts Highways spokeswoman said an informal public consultation on the feasibility of the proposal will be put forward before any construction goes ahead.

She added: “Subject to funding, we aim to deliver the scheme in the next financial year.

“We can’t comment on costs until we have a final design, which incorporates feedback from the consultations.”