Cllr Diogo Rodrigues has warned that Bridgwater’s new one-way system is causing chaos for residents, after raising the issue on BBC Politics West last weekend.
Speaking on the programme, Cllr Rodrigues, who represents Bridgwater East and Bawdrip on Somerset Council, highlighted how the one-way system on Salmon Parade and East Quay is pushing large volumes of traffic onto the already-busy Cross Rifles roundabout.
He told the programme, “People are having to divert onto a roundabout that’s already dealing with traffic coming in from all sides of town - from Bath Road, Bristol Road and everywhere else. It’s clogging up completely. People are taking longer to get to work, longer to get to GP appointments. It’s affecting daily life.”
Cllr Rodrigues also shared the example of a local resident, Sadie, who relies on taxis for her weekly shop. “Her trip used to cost £7,” he said. “It now costs £20. People who are already struggling can’t afford that.”
He also raised the decision by Liberal Democrat-run Somerset Council to cancel the government-funded upgrade to Cross Rifles roundabout - an upgrade that would have mitigated the impact of the one-way system. “What makes matters worse is that the roundabout which is now hugely congested was supposed to be upgraded. There was government funding for it. The Lib Dems scrapped it,” he said.
Cllr Rodrigues set up a petition in October calling for the one-way system on Salmon Parade and East Quay to be reversed, and it has now received over 5,800 signatures.
He went on to say, “People in Bridgwater want this reversed because it's causing chaos, and I hope that's what Somerset Council do. It will ease the traffic congestion and make life easier for so many people just trying to go about their daily lives.”
