Hertford roundabout traffic jams highlighted to county councillors
Queues for McDonalds and the BP petrol station are causing jams
The problems caused by motorists queuing on the busy Rush Green roundabout in Hertford have been highlighted in a petition presented to the latest meeting of the county council.
According to the petition, motorists waiting to access the BP petrol station and the McDonald’s fast food outlet cause traffic to back up around the roundabout, preventing traffic from entering the roundabout from Stanstead Road.
Since 2014, the roundabout has been designated as an urban clearway – making queuing illegal.
The petition calls on the county council to work with relevant partners to install enforcement cameras and to levy fines against those who breach the urban clearway regulations.
Presenting the petition, Nigel Bowen, chair of Kingsmead Residents’ Association, said the site had become “increasingly dangerous over the years”.
He said the attempt to improve the situation by designating it an urban clearway had failed, owing to a lack of enforcement.
And after highlighting powers now granted to the county council to enforce “moving traffic” contraventions, he called on the authority to take action to enforce the clearway.
The petition – signed by more than 1000 residents – acknowledges that planning permission has been granted for a ‘feeder lane’ to the McDonald’s site.
But it suggests this “will not have a significant impact on queuing at peak time” as it says it will only reduce the queue by around three cars.
In response to the petition, deputy executive member for highways Cllr Helen Campbell said that enforcement of the urban clearway was needed to prevent traffic queuing.
She said that “some quirks about the location history” meant the county council did not have the powers needed for camera enforcement.
But the council agreed to a motion requesting the executive member and council officers continue to work with others to enable and support the enforcement of ‘moving traffic offences’ at the site, including the use of technology.
The others named in the motion include MPs, the Department for Transport, East Herts Council and the police.
Presenting the motion, Cllr Campbell said it was “absolutely vital that a proper, effective, sustainable solution to the problem at Rush Green is pursued and implemented”.
She said: “Whatever anybody here thinks about fast food – and I am not a fan – it is a very, very popular site, as clearly evidenced in the drive-thru queue which backs up onto the roundabout itself.
“And sometimes there are up to two dozen vehicles on Stanstead Road.
“These clearly cause severe delays, severe disruption and severe safety concerns, as we have heard from the petitioner. And has been ongoing for at least a decade.”
Cllr Campbell highlighted a planning application to make some changes to the site. She said all parties recognised that this would probably bring some improvement.
But she said that given the levels of use, “it’s not felt likely by anyone that it will solve the problem sufficiently well”.
She said the motion, which was agreed by the council, “absolutely recognises this serious problem, this long-standing problem, cannot be left to the whims of a fast food chain”.
And she said: “It needs the determined, continued collaboration of a number of parties to arrive, once and for all, at a proper, sustainable and enforceable solution that can be put in place to rectify what has been a severe problem for far too long.”