The closure came into force on Wednesday morning, 19th August, affecting part of Devizes Road and Croft Road and is set to last 2 days.
However, Swindon24 has spoken to several businesses in the area this morning who said they did not know the road was going to be closed.
Charlotte, from The Flower Shop on Devizes Road, described chaotic scenes as motorists discovered the closure. She said:
“It’s carnage no one knows it’s shut there are cars doing 3 point turns all over the place.
“There is now screaming and shouting between the workers and drivers as apparently there is no signs! What a fun Wednesday.”
Danielle Robbins, from Danielle & Co, also said she had not been expecting the closure. She said:
“Bloody hell. Carnage. Why haven’t there been signs up? They usually put those yellow signs to let people know it’s going to be closed. What a nightmare.”
Jessie, from Ray’s Ice Cream, said she was concerned about what the closure would mean for businesses relying on passing trade. She said:
“Wow that is going to massively affect sales for all of us! How ridiculous.”
At the time Swindon24 visited the area, we also did not see signage setting out an active diversion for motorists approaching the Devizes Road closure.
Swindon Borough Council had previously announced that Croft Road would be resurfaced between Wednesday, 19th August and Friday, 21st August, following completion of work on Bath Road.
But the council’s announcement also explicitly stated that residents and businesses affected by the works had been notified by letter.
It said access would be maintained for residents and businesses “where possible”, while signed diversions would be put in place for other road users.
The accounts from businesses spoken to by Swindon24 raise questions over whether notification reached all those affected, particularly businesses on Devizes Road, and whether sufficient advance warning was provided to motorists.
Kris Talikowski, Chair of the Old Town Business Association said:
“I’ve been speaking with businesses this morning and it’s clear the lack of warning and proper diversion signage is causing significant disruption. I’m trying to get this resolved with the council as quickly as possible.
The priority now has to be getting clear, properly signed diversions in place so drivers know where to go and customers can still access Old Town businesses. The resurfacing work needs to be done, but businesses need proper communication and sensible traffic management while it is happening.”
Swindon24 has approached Swindon Borough Council for clarification over which sections of Devizes Road and Croft Road are being closed, how businesses were notified and what diversion arrangements have been put in place.
Bath Road and Croft Road were among four additional locations added to the council’s summer resurfacing programme earlier this month, alongside Draycot Road and The Ridgeway, and Station Road.
Councillor Nick Gardiner, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We are carrying out widespread improvements to more than 20 roads this summer, including in Old Town this week.
“Unfortunately, a miscommunication between our team and our contractor meant a large patching repair in Devizes Road was brought forward so it coincided with the resurfacing of nearby Croft Road. This meant we did not have enough time to notify local businesses and residents.
“We’re happy to report the repair has been completed and the traffic management on Devizes Road has been removed, but would like to apologise to everyone that was affected and we will ensure this does not happen again.”
Those additions took the number of roads receiving improvements this summer to 22, with the council saying more than £2 million is being invested in the borough’s road network during the current financial year.
The wider programme began in July with 18 roads scheduled for work during the school summer holidays.
When announcing the additional resurfacing earlier this month, Councillor Nick Gardiner, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:
“I’m pleased to see further roads added to our current resurfacing programme, with some being a high priority for us to repair for a considerable time.
“This takes the total number of roads receiving improvements this summer to 22 and is an important step to getting on top of our repair backlog despite our limited resources.”
The resurfacing programme forms part of a much larger investment planned for Swindon’s highways. Earlier this year the council outlined plans for almost £30 million to be spent on roads over four years, with more than 60 roads identified for improvements during the first two years.
Swindon24 will update this story when Swindon Borough Council responds to questions about this morning’s closure and the notification and diversion arrangements.
