You can’t have failed to notice that there are quite a lot of roadworks going on in Winslow at present.  All of the work is ‘off-site highways improvements’ related to the Banner Homes development off Verney Road.  As part of the planning consent for the development Banner are obliged to pay for these works which are designed to compensate for the extra traffic which will be generated from the development. They are not allowed to sell any houses until the works are completed and paid for.

The main works are in Verney Road, Vicarage Road and Burleys Road with some additional work in the High Street and on Buckingham Road. New parking bays in Verney Road and Burleys Road and a traffic island where Burleys, Verney and Vicarage Roads meet are part of the plan as well as a slight widening of Vicarage Road and two pedestrian refuges at crossing points.  On Buckingham Road there will be a Vehicle Activated Sign to remind drivers of the 30mph limit and some re-alignment of the road markings to give the impression of the road being narrower which apparently slows down traffic. Let’s hope it does.  The parking protection ‘build-outs’ on the High Street are likely to be the most contentious parts of the work.  The highways engineers believe that these works together with new white-lining will slow and improve traffic flow on the High Street. It will also make it much safer to be on the pavement outside the Co-oP and the butchers.  If the Co-oP delivery vehicles go to the rear of the store which they could, and should, then the scheme should be to everyone’s benefit. 

The work will stop on 6th December and start again on 10th January and is expected to be finished sometime in March. Only when all of the work is completed will we be able to judge how successful it is so let’s be patient and hope that the highways engineers have got it right.