Traffic work in Cheltenham

Work starts this week to try and make the traffic flow around Cheltenham a bit better in rush hour.

Gloucestershire County Council say a new £185,000 traffic light system should mean you stop less between the Arle Court roundabout and Princess Elizabeth Way, cutting journey times.

Engineers will move onto site on Monday, but work will only take place during off-peak hours to minimise disruption for drivers. The work will take 10 weeks

The system can be controlled centrally from Shire Hall which means an operator can intervene to make changes to the lights in either very heavy traffic or if a collision or a road block occurs.

Cllr Stan Waddington, cabinet member for environment and transport, said:

“One of the key issues we’re looking to address is congestion on our roads.
“We’re investing in park and ride services and improving cycle paths across the county, but inevitably we have to look at improving journeys for motorists too.
“This area of Cheltenham is always very busy, especially during peak commuter times with people going to work or taking their children to school and these changes will help address that.
“I appreciate that this work may cause some disruption, but we have minimised the impact by limiting the hours of work to make sure we don’t affect motorists travelling at peak times.
“I would ask people to be patient while this work is carried out.”