Kingskwerswell Bypass

If you are heading for Torquay you will almost certainly drive down the A380. You will arrive at Penn Inn roundabout on the outskirts of Newton Abbot and think,"Oh good. Nearly there." The kids in the back will be clamoring to see who sees the sea first and you will be thinking of a trip down to the hotel bar for a nice relaxing drink. Then you will make it to the other side of the roundabout and notice that the traffic is moving, but only just. By the time you get through Kingskerswell on the way to Torquay,( 2 miles, seems like for ever) the only question on your mind will be, "Why the hell don't they build a bypass round this place?"

A good question. If you are a friend of Tony Blair could you please have a word with him and ask him if we can have the money. Tell him is he cuts short the war in where ever it is we are at war by only one day he will have enough money left to build us a bypass.

For the past seven years to my knowledge the County Council and Torbay Council have been trying to get the money from central government. They apply, central govenment says, "Looks fine, plans are OK, and it does look like you need a bypass. Could you do an indepth traffic survey to show the auditors?" So the councils do the survey and send it of to Whitehall who put it on a shelf in one of their offices in the Falkland Islands.

Six months goes by and the council ring Whitehall and ask what progress the application is making. Whitehall say, "We'll ring you back." The council have heard that one before and say, "No. We will hang on." Two weeks later a cleaner in the corridors of power notices the phone off the hook and hangs up.

Eventually some one in Whitehall will dig out the files and ring the council and say that all things considered you can have your bypass. Oh, just one thing. The traffic survey is out of date, could you do a new one. Six months later, new plans and new survey are sent to Whitehall who say, "God you do need a bypass. Why didn't you ask sooner. We have just spent all this year's money. Apply again next year, with a new traffic survey of course and we will pass your plans on to the different department to deal with (meaning give some one else a good laugh at your expence)."

It now looks like the Bypass, because of the cost, £80 million, will be built in stages. The whole thing will be no more than 3 miles long. How can you build a streatch of road 3 miles long in stages. Lets face it, the only way we will ever get a bypass is if we go and steal one from some where. Given this fact, isn't it time that the Councils, Torbay and Devon County had a look at making the existing road easier to drive along. A fly over at the lights would be cheaper then a bypass but would look a bit of a mess. Pedestrian underpasses went out of fashion years ago as did pedestrian bridges. but anyone who drives along the road (me, 9000 times in both directions in the last 7 years) will tell you the main problem. Jury's Corner Traffic Lights. Now is the time to start experimenting with these lights. For starters they could time them to change a lot less often for the traffic on the main road. On Tuesday morning I drove from Penn Inn to Jury's Corner. Should have taken 5 mins max, it took 20. When I pulled out of the stop at Priory Ave, which is 300 yards from the lights, they had changed 3 times before I got to the lights. Once past the lights it was 40 mph all the way to Scott's Bridge where the speed limit drops to 30. It's always the same when the road is slightly busy, crawl to Jury's Corner, fly once you are passed.

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