OVER £34,000 will be spent on reducing accidents and casualties in Yate after South Gloucestershire Council awarded the funding to tackle two road blackspots in the town.


Yate Town Council and Dodington Parish Council have campaigned for two road blackspots to be addressed and the Frome Vale Area Forum chose to give £34,200 towards the project, on Thursday, March 5.


The funding will enable clearer road makings and the creation of an island in the road to prevent U-turns.


One spot is the offset junction between Rodford Way, Shire Way and Sundridge Park.


Dodington Parish councillor, Paul Hulbert, who spoke at the meeting, said: "Drivers are confused by the lack of clear priorities at the junction.


"South Gloucestershire Council experts have investigated and found that most of the casualties are actually cyclists - the drivers are obviously too busy looking out for other cars that they don't see the cyclists.


"The proposal is largely road markings to make the priorities clear and make the cycle lanes much more obvious. This expenditure should be good value for money in reducing injuries at the junction."


A little further down Rodford Way, at the Abbotswood junction, there have been quite a few "near misses" as vehicles do U-turns in this very wide road mouth.


South Gloucestershire councillor for Dodington, Tony Davis, said: "These U-turns particularly happen during peak times when drivers want to get into Kelston Close, where the schools are, so drivers are performing dangerous manoeuvres when there are lots of young families arriving to drop off or pick up their children.

"Now there's a new housing development planned for Kelston Close as well, so the problem is likely to get worse.


"The proposal is to put an island in the mouth of the road to prevent U-turns."


Dodington Parish Councillor, Gloria Stephen, said: "Our Parish Council and Yate Town Council have been campaigning for a long time to reduce accidents at the various junctions on Rodford Way. It's a fast, busy road right through the area with all the houses and the schools. We're glad these two schemes have been approved, but we shall keep pressing for other problem areas to be tackled when money is available.
The schemes are expected to be put in over the next year.