M5 Junction 19 Users

[CubanPete]

Anyone else use this junction? Southbound every evening queues 2-8 miles long on the motorway, this leads to many extraordinary / dangerous / idiotic driving manoeuvres. Worse when it is busy...

It has become increasingly bad after the 2012 'improvements'. A lot of this could be simply solved by re balancing the light sequence.

I have been haranguing the various bodies for a while, but if anyone else fancies making their voice heard, this is the list of emails I am currently sending to...

[e-mail] (Liam Fox's secretary, she has been quite communicative)

[e-mail] Main contact
[e-mail] His sidekick, could be boss
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail] Ops director
[e-mail]
[e-mail]


and cc'ing

[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail] Bristol evening Post
[e-mail] North Somerset Times
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail] Chairman of the association of British insurers

[CubanPete]

I accept that is the theory.

However in the evening, even before the hundred is busy the M5 southbound queues for several miles. There are rarely more than a few cars queuing in the other directions suggesting the MOVA system is pretty unbalanced. When the system was broken a few weeks ago the traffic flowed more freely, and before the 2012 'improvements' were implemented the traffic flowed more freely, though they have improved the morning traffic slightly (I am long gone before the morning traffic is an issue), my other half travels later (7.30) and would argue it doesn't flow very freely.

[CubanPete]

Have a meeting with Highways England in a couple of weeks.

They have acknowledged the junction needs balancing and are going to speak to Skanska about the light sequencing.

[CubanPete]

Notes I circulated post meeting.

Basically we need as many people as possible to lobby MPs, otherwise it will be 2025 before they even look at it...



Notes from meeting 15 Nov 2016

We had a positive meeting in which we ran through some of the constraints and issues around the issues regarding M5 Southbound Junction 19. I'd like to thank all attendees, particularly Sean for his hard work.

We covered a lot of items, so hopefully this is a fair report.

The junction was designed in the 1960s, for traffic levels in the 1970s. It is fundamentally under capacity for current traffic levels.
The node between the A369 eastbound and the M5 southbound is the currently primary constraint.
HE are not supporting any further planning requests in this area due to the lack of capacity withing the road network.


Signalling
· The signal have been adjusted to re-balance the roundabout. This has improved things, reducing the queuing from circa 8 miles to about 3 miles and improving motorway traffic flow, and speeding up the queuing. This in an improvement, rather than a solution, the queuing is 'less abysmal' but this is a sticking plaster to a still very under capacity piece of the road network.
o There are still some issues with this, although increased 'green time' the first phase of this only allows a few vehicles through is lost with the subsequent light being out of phase
· North Somerset have adjusted the pedestrian crossing on Wyndham way (these lock the roundabout at the end of the Portbury Hundred), which causes traffic to tail back to try and increase help reduce roundabout egress delays caused by slow moving traffic on the Portbury Hundred
· The sensors used in the MOVA signalling are located just 40 metres in front of the lights (i.e. the system isn't set-up to balance 8 mile traffic queues)
· Due to the design with the M49 join becoming the J19 slip road, there is no 'back of the queue' available, this is a source of many of the 'frustrated driver' dangerous manoeuvres seen (there is plenty of poor driving too!).

Safety
· Accidents are only recorded for road improvement statistics if there is death or major injury, explaining the disparity between observed and recorded accidents.
· The statistics leading up to the junctions aren't significantly worse than other junctions within the area. This accident count was described as 'surprisingly few' and was a shock to all attendees. I hypothesise this is due to
o Traffic only being able to travel at very slow speeds for much of the duration
o Hyper-vigilant driving due to the traffic conditions
o Luck; there will be a very nasty accident in the lead up to this junction unless improvements are made.
· After suggesting Highways contact the ABI for additional crash data, it transpires that this has been an ongoing request for a couple of years. The ABI are reticent about supplying anonymised data, despite this being for the public good, and saving their members money in payouts. Other data sources are being investigated.

What next?
· There is some lining changes planned this financial year.
· There is a study to look at removing the service filter island to allow two lanes of traffic to exit to Portishead (due to complete July). Funding is required to take this any further than this stage. This needs to be pressed for otherwise, it will be 2025 strategic review...
· West of England Local Enterprise Partnership makes some pretty strong statements re the investment required in the transport network
http://www.westofenglandlep.co.uk/assets/files/Tra...

In summary, HE and North Somerset are doing what they can, however the current road network is under capacity, and investment is needed. It won't be long before the queues will be back to the M4 interchange and gridlocking Bristol.


Ione, please could you ask Dr Fox to:
· Lobby the insurance industry / ABI to provide anonymised accident data that we can use for road improvements
· Lobby Chris Grayling that some of the available / promised money for infrastructure improvements is directed towards this area
o Junction improvement
o Move local traffic from shared motorway junction
o Alternative route to cross the Avon (the Avonmouth bridge is the only available route without travelling into central Bristol)
o Accelerate activity on re-opening the Portishead - Bristol railway line
o Affordable public transport (£7 for a bus into Bristol, when they actually turn up, this is why people drive)

[CubanPete]

cptsideways said:

Just try turning the traffic lights off at the roundabout, my bet is flow would improve massively.

It might. They turn off the lights at J14 (Falfield) when it is busy as they are unable to cope with the flow. Part time lights that only operate during quiet periods!

[CubanPete]

Updated list of who to lobby (post meeting with Highways England)!

[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail];