TENS of thousands of vehicles flow through Swindon’s roundabouts every day – but which one is the worst?
Confusing layouts, arguably-unnecessary traffic lights and reckless drivers have left many motorists furious and frustrated at some of the town’s busiest junctions.
The Adver asked our readers to mention the ones they dreaded driving around.
The most heavily-criticised roundabout in the borough was Bruce Street Bridges, which brings Great Western Way through Rodbourne – and, according to Jeff Dyer, is “awful”.
Dan Donachy called it “hands down the worst in Swindon” while Julia Cain thought it “worked much better before [the council] messed with it” in 2017.
Steve Mobey agreed: “Take a really efficient four-way mini-roundabout, turn it back into a slow lumbering single one, then stick traffic lights on it that come on and go off at random times of the day, making sure there's always a queue of traffic at a standstill on the inner lanes blocking your route onto the outer one. Ludicrous.”
Cally Pearce said: “People like to beep at Bruce Street Bridges even when they are in the wrong and in the wrong lane.
“It's already once totalled the back end of my car when a driver hit it off. The lanes are completely unreadable for most drivers with no sense - and there's a great deal of them on the road.
“What chance would an out of town driver have?”
Marilyn Beale doesn’t drive but feared “ someone is going to get killed on the crossings if they don't do something to slow the traffic down there. It’s been much worse since lockdown ended.”
Sue Faulkner pointed out that “no one knows which lane they want”.
Tomasz Karpiński complained: “you never know which lane you should drive, you never know when traffic lights will go on or off, almost every time I have to sound the horn on idiots driving into my car.”
Greenbridge roundabout connects the retail park to Stratton via Oxford Road and Swindon Road as well as to the town centre via Queens Drive.
One reader said the busy junction “terrifies” him while June Young suggested it “should have made it Magic like the County Ground”.
Anthony Lewis complained that “No-one seems to know the lanes coming from Dorcan and always cut across. It’s frustrating, all you have to do is stay in your lane.”
Craig Oliver disliked it because “the traffic lights are always on - save money and turn them off at night until 8am.”
Mannington - which serves motorists from West Swindon, the town centre and the M4 - got more than a few mentions, particularly because of its recent revamp.
Kelly Haynes said: “Mannington, purely for the fact that they need to repaint the lines so people know how to use it properly.”
Chrissie Gray thought it should “go back to what it was and remove the black fencing, making it easier to see.”
Graham Lavers thought the “three lanes into one” heading off the roundabout and under the railway bridge was “a stupid design” while Machala Pearce lamented that “nobody seems to have a clue how to read the road signs” on Mannington and Junction 16’s roundabouts.
Speaking of which, the M4 Junction – which has undergone a major £10 million revamp – popped up several times in reader’s answers.
Lisa Savory suggested the massive expense was a waste of money as it “was much easier before it was all remodelled”.
Jane Spencer said: “Junction 16, I hate it - I understand the lanes but others don't. I'm not blaming other drivers, I just don't like it, you need eyes in your backside.”
In West Swindon, the Meads roundabout and nearby junctions came in for some criticism, even (or perhaps because of) the council’s recent changes to that area.
Zoe McCormick said: “The new traffic lights on Mead Way still aren’t finished. It worked much better as a roundabout. It’s dangerous turning right into stone hill green.
“And no, it hasn’t improved Meads roundabout coming out of Paddington Drive at all.”
Jackie Williams agreed: “It's dangerous the other way too trying to turn right into Westmead - it's an accident waiting to happen if someone is whizzing up the outside lane not realising that there's a queue waiting to turn right.
“It was definitely much better as a roundabout and they could or should have left it in place. It would have still worked even with the two outbound lanes.
“All they've done is move the pinch point further up Mead Way from the Meads roundabout.”
And what of Swindon’s most famous roundabout, which amazes Americans and strikes fear into the hearts of daunted out-of-town drivers who have never tried to traverse six mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle before?
Well, the Magic Roundabout did not get mentioned much in the hundreds of comments by our readers. Mark Eustace said it “was a crazy idea” but didn’t criticise anything about it specifically, while Lucian Caraignat supported it: “Love magic roundabout”.
Other random suggestions for the worst roundabout in Swindon borough included the one at the top of St Michael’s Avenue in Highworth because, according to Andrew Cope, “nobody lets you out, everyone is racing for the lights, and when you do get out, you get stuck at the lights. It’s a massive joke.”
Justine Hamilton “loathes” the roundabout near Halfords and The Range on Fleming Way because it is “so, so dangerous” for pedestrians.
Adam Foresti disliked “the whole of Thamesdown Drive – yuk! Bin those lights that go red every two seconds!”
John Wood had similar views: “I detest Thamesdown Drive, I used to try everything to avoid it.
“It must hold the record for the highest amount of traffic lights per mile. Drove down parts of it about 460 times a year for 13 years.”
Bart Wojciechowski slammed “the A419 Blunsdon junction. What idiot decide to change dual carriageway into single line for about 100m and back to dual carriageway again?”
Connor Rose faced an unusual issue at the Gorse Hill crossroads junction: “I ride a motorcycle and the lights never register me there and I end up sitting there for around 20-30 mins.”
Could the problem not be singled out to one particular roundabout? Some readers suggested all of the junctions and roundabouts in Swindon are hard to use.
Andrew Little said: “All of them because they are all so badly designed” while John Sturgeon suggested “all of the roundabouts modified in the last 10 years” were rubbish.
Marc Reed agreed but for a different reason: “All - not because they are bad (I actually think most like Bruce St & Mannington work well when used correctly) but because Swindon Borough Council have used cheap line paint that fades in a few months so those who are ‘less confident’ have no chance of staying in the correct lane and using them correctly.
A general issue that seems to catch out many drivers is, as Betty Kerr describes, “the three lanes that go into two” or, as Angela Edginton mentioned, “all the double lanes that go into one, there are some real idiots who think it’s a race track.”
Or, after all that vitriol directed at the town’s tarmac ovals, could it not be the roundabouts themselves which are to blame – maybe it’s the drivers’ fault?
Carrie Holness said: “They'd all be much easier if people showed some manners, use indicators and just drove properly.”
Neil Halliday agreed: “Incompetent drivers mess loads up!”
Dolly Hancock said: “The biggest problem are the people on them that don’t know how to drive properly, simple as that.
“If you don’t know the roads, try slowing down, read the signs and get in lane. Give way to the right… merge in turn and use both lanes.”
Jenny Allen summed it up: “If you use them right, there is no problem.”
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