Council says it is monitoring traffic

Council responds to queues forming since Bear Lane closure

WEST Berkshire Council has said it is monitoring Newbury town centre traffic since the closure of Bear Lane to the A339.

Traffic has been queuing from Cheap Street to its junction with the A339 during peak hours since the council stopped traffic from entering Bear Lane from the Sainsbury’s roundabout in August.

The queues have come during the school holidays, when traffic is usually lighter.

When asked if the council was keeping tabs on traffic, spokeswoman Peta Stoddart-Crompton said: “Yes, we are monitoring the traffic. We’ve changed the timing of the temporary traffic lights on Bear Lane northbound to allow more gaps for the southbound traffic stream and will continue to review the situation.

“We are working to minimise disruption as much as possible, however, with any large town centre project, some delays are inevitable.”

The closure is part of a £1.8m project to try to reduce congestion in the town centre.

The project introduced a traffic light junction from the A339 into Cheap Street and lights at its junction with Market Street.