Residents 'betrayed' over city traffic restrictions

People who live near new traffic restrictions in a city have said they feel "betrayed" and "ignored" by their local council.

A bus, taxi and cycle-only trial began on 25 January on a section of Portswood Road in Southampton to improve air quality.

Residents have said the project's initial plans to block diverted traffic from their road had "evaporated" and traffic had become "horrendous".

Southampton City Council said it was "carefully monitoring" the scheme's effect on surrounding roads.

Since 25 January on Portswood Road, only buses, taxis and cyclists have been permitted to travel at certain hours between the St Denys Road spur and Westridge Road.

Brookvale Road resident Michael Mace said initial designs for the scheme had shown his road being blocked to diverted traffic.

But he said that plan had "evaporated" in the final layout and a newly-installed road sign on Portswood Road diverted traffic onto Brookvale.

"It's far, far worse than what was proposed in the first place," he said.

"So we feel a little duped by the planners who have basically done a U-turn on what they were promising".

He said an area near a local primary school was in a "state of carnage" at pick-up and drop-off times because of heavy traffic.

Other residents told the BBC the road had become dangerous from drivers becoming frustrated.

Catherine Wood said Brookvale Road had "turned into a mass of angry traffic" with drivers "speeding between pinch points to reach gaps."

"Vulnerable and elderly adults who also use the road frequently are at risk," she added.

Harriet Nicholson said: "It's horrendous. We've had to tell our children they can no longer cycle to school as it's not safe."

Roly Simpson described the plans as "ill-conceived" and posed a "risk to health [from] accidents or pollution".

Jeff Williams, director of education for the Diocese of Winchester which oversees the nearby Highfield CE Primary School, said the Diocese did "encourage" the scheme, but was aware of the problems.

"Parents and the school are rightly concerned about children's safety with more traffic and associated risks and have observed drivers getting angry with the situation, which has been seen by children", he said.

"The school will talk to all children about being aware of potential new situations regarding road safety that come from this trial.

"We would be happy to meet with council road safety and planning officers to look at solutions to minimise any unanticipated risks to children's safety or learning from this trial period."

Southampton City Council said the final scheme included a traffic filter in nearby Russell Place, and four "priority passing points" along Brookvale Road.

It said these measures struck a balance to "calm and discourage through-traffic in the area" and prioritise active travel and vehicle access for residents.

"We are carefully monitoring the Broadway and surrounding areas, including Brookvale Road," it said.

"Traffic and other metrics are being thoroughly scrutinised throughout the trial.

"Together with the feedback we receive from local people, we will be able to understand the impacts on the Broadway and local roads.

"The impacts of all the new measures cannot be fully known in advance, so delivering a trial of the scheme allows these to be looked at."

It added results would be considered at "regular intervals" throughout the six-month trial and measures could be "removed, amended or added if required".

"As with any new scheme, there are likely to be traffic flow changes throughout the first days, weeks and even months as people get used to the new measures and adjust their travel habits."

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.