A ROAD improvement scheme aimed at cutting the number of accidents at a notorious junction on the A39 became a casualty itself this week - just two months after it was put in place. An illuminated bollard on a new kerbed island installed at Washford Cross in November was effectively flattened in a four-vehicle pile-up on Monday afternoon. Now Somerset County Council, which has come under fire for the inadequacy of the £30,000 package of measures amid calls for a roundabout or traffic lights, has promised to review the scheme if the expected casualty reduction is not achieved. One woman was taken to hospital with slight head injuries following the latest collision, while others involved were described by police as "walking wounded". The collision, which involved a Vauxhall Astra, MG Rover, Mazda and an unknown make of vehicle, happened just before 2.30pm near Tropiquaria and blocked the road for two hours. The cause of the accident, in which one of the vehicles actually ended up on top of the bollard, is still investigation. But local councillors are continuing to put pressure on highways chiefs for better safety measures. Watchet Town Council chairman Cllr Dave Westcott, who previously described the current scheme as "purely cosmetic", said he had not changed his view. "Obviously we don't know the cause of this accident but it seems to me that the fact that it happened is proof of what we have been saying about these supposed improvements. "I use that junction every day and I know the number of near misses that I see. "No one really knows who has to give way. It's a very busy junction and it needs more than this scheme if a more serious accident is to be avoided. "We will continue to campaign for a roundabout or traffic lights. It desperately needs something to be done because it appears the current measures have not resolved the problem. "It's about time some money was spent on the roads in this part of the county." Communities around the Washford Cross area have been campaigning for years for safety to be improved at the junction. The current scheme attracted criticism from both Watchet Town Council and Williton Parish Council almost as soon as it was installed in early November. But their demands for a roundabout have failed to even make it to the drawing board as a serious proposal because of the estimated £500,000 cost. The newly implemented measures are aimed at reducing the speed of traffic through the crossroads and turning into or out of the side roads. They are also designed to make the junction more visible to motorists. A county council spokesman said the measures put in place were subject to a detailed injury accident analysis as part of the casualty reduction engineering programme. "These schemes are laid down in guidelines as having to be relatively low cost and targeted at specific injury accident problems," said the spokesman. "National figures are used to give the average accident cost and assess the number of injury accidents that should be saved by the treatment. "We then calculate what budget can be justified in relation to this." The spokesman said the accident analysis carried out in relation to Washford Cross identified a need to highlight the junction to drivers on the main road and the measures, which include the island, some signing and red anti-skid and other road markings, were costed in relation to the outlined process. He said some of the elements of the scheme, which include 'distance' plates to supplement the existing 'crossroads ahead' warning signs, had still to be provided but were programmed to be in place by the end of January, weather permitting. "The recent scheme was targeted at reducing the injury accident problem at Washford Cross and the measures are of course being monitored to ensure that they achieve the expected casualty reduction and that the works do not cause any safety concerns themselves. "They will, therefore, be reviewed if this is not the case." County councillor Anthony Trollope-Bellew, who represents the Quantock division and has highlighted the concerns of local councillors with highways chiefs, said he hoped the latest accident had not resulted in any serious injuries. Previously, he said he was not convinced the new measures would improve safety. "I still believe a roundabout is the best solution," Cllr Trollope-Bellew told the Free Press this week. "I know traffic lights would be a cheaper alternative but I am not so keen on them because I think they waste road capacity and can cause congestion. "I will certainly continue to campaign for better safety measures than are currently in place. "We want something to be done before someone is killed."
