Bracknell A3095 Birch Hill roundabout
Discussion
This above 'system' is now complete. along with the replacement of the roundabout at the junction with nine mile ride with s light controlled crossroads
T now has 24/7 lights instead of a couple running peak hours only
One big design flaw is in their infinite wisdom the have made the roundabout now a 'drive through' for A3095 southbound traffic with two lanes merging into one immediately on clearing. The traffic wishing go all the way around to Great Hollands has a slip road about 4 car lengths which means it will not be available to use a A3095 traffic will be using both lanes of Mill Lane.
Bets are on to see how soon it will be before more roadworks will take place to make it a third 'Go around the roundabout' slip/lane
It is worth pointing out the mentality of these so called experts When this was first mooted it was claimed that 'By making the A3095 from Birch Hill roundabout to the Nine Mile Ride roundabout into three lanes with two going into Bracknell it would speed up traffic in Rush hours and reduce the queueing on Mill Lane I did write to them pointing out the the same amount of traffic will be going in and out morning and evening, and that but still keeping one 'exit' road leaving Bracknell, the Mill Lane problem will still be there. I offered two suggestions 1) make it 4 lanes ( 2 in/2 out single carriageway or A DC. Or keep it as three way and swing the middle lane to 2 in AM and "2 out PM . In the end nothing altered along the stretch still single 2 lane SC, with this awful light controlled system. So more sitting at a red for two minutes at 23.00 when before this it would have been on and away or a 5 sec wait. More uneccessary pollution. Like the Sports Centre one, why they cannot make it peak hours only lights i have no idea.
T now has 24/7 lights instead of a couple running peak hours only
One big design flaw is in their infinite wisdom the have made the roundabout now a 'drive through' for A3095 southbound traffic with two lanes merging into one immediately on clearing. The traffic wishing go all the way around to Great Hollands has a slip road about 4 car lengths which means it will not be available to use a A3095 traffic will be using both lanes of Mill Lane.
Bets are on to see how soon it will be before more roadworks will take place to make it a third 'Go around the roundabout' slip/lane
It is worth pointing out the mentality of these so called experts When this was first mooted it was claimed that 'By making the A3095 from Birch Hill roundabout to the Nine Mile Ride roundabout into three lanes with two going into Bracknell it would speed up traffic in Rush hours and reduce the queueing on Mill Lane I did write to them pointing out the the same amount of traffic will be going in and out morning and evening, and that but still keeping one 'exit' road leaving Bracknell, the Mill Lane problem will still be there. I offered two suggestions 1) make it 4 lanes ( 2 in/2 out single carriageway or A DC. Or keep it as three way and swing the middle lane to 2 in AM and "2 out PM . In the end nothing altered along the stretch still single 2 lane SC, with this awful light controlled system. So more sitting at a red for two minutes at 23.00 when before this it would have been on and away or a 5 sec wait. More uneccessary pollution. Like the Sports Centre one, why they cannot make it peak hours only lights i have no idea.
silverfoxcc said:
. So more sitting at a red for two minutes at 23.00 when before this it would have been on and away or a 5 sec wait. More uneccessary pollution. Like the Sports Centre one, why they cannot make it peak hours only lights i have no idea.
Probably because BFBC have no idea either! 
They claim to be improving air quality, but sitting looking at red lights when there is no other traffic at the Twin Bridges 7 traffic lights roundabouts, A3095/A329 lights where there used to be a roundabout and no doubt doing the same when they finish ruining the junction near the Golden Retiever won't improve air quality at all!
It took them over a year and untold misery for commuters to create a roundabout on the A3095 for access to Broadmoor - which is probably where they recruited their planners!
Hopefully I'll be moving soon.
BFBC council have lost the plot, by removing any roundabout they can find.
Coral Reef - Check
Ascot MB - Check
Golden Retriever - Check
Great Hollands - Check
Where next - Martins Heron Tesco ?
More queues, more pollution, more tarmac, an absolute joke. Clearly someone at the council has shares in a traffic light company.
As others have said, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to keep the roundabout with peak hour lights as required.
Coral Reef - Check
Ascot MB - Check
Golden Retriever - Check
Great Hollands - Check
Where next - Martins Heron Tesco ?
More queues, more pollution, more tarmac, an absolute joke. Clearly someone at the council has shares in a traffic light company.
As others have said, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to keep the roundabout with peak hour lights as required.
It will be interesting to see how the traffic flows once people start to go back to the office and roadworks are finished.
My Mum lives on the Old Wokingham Road near the new housing estate and as a kid the traffic getting onto the A329M was always bad. Add a s
t load more houses, I can imagine the traffic from Sandhurst and Crowthorne towards Bracknell will be shocking.
My Mum lives on the Old Wokingham Road near the new housing estate and as a kid the traffic getting onto the A329M was always bad. Add a s
t load more houses, I can imagine the traffic from Sandhurst and Crowthorne towards Bracknell will be shocking. Smithy99 said:
BFBC council have lost the plot, by removing any roundabout they can find.
Coral Reef - Check
Ascot MB - Check
Golden Retriever - Check
Great Hollands - Check
Where next - Martins Heron Tesco ?
More queues, more pollution, more tarmac, an absolute joke. Clearly someone at the council has shares in a traffic light company.
As others have said, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to keep the roundabout with peak hour lights as required.
SmithyCoral Reef - Check
Ascot MB - Check
Golden Retriever - Check
Great Hollands - Check
Where next - Martins Heron Tesco ?
More queues, more pollution, more tarmac, an absolute joke. Clearly someone at the council has shares in a traffic light company.
As others have said, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to keep the roundabout with peak hour lights as required.
The funny but bloody ironic part is that when we moved to Bracknell in 1978 i had to do a new route map each year for my BiL as tyey had put in another new roundabout, but 24/7 lights they are the work of the devil
daddy cool said:
Birch Hill resident here... its a total shambles, I honestly don't know how anyone can think all the roundabout removals are an improvement? Just makes any journey - in any direction - longer...
Another local here. I think most of the roundabout replacements are working well. You can get out of South Hill road onto the A322 now, you can get out of New forest ride onto the A322 and hopefully there will be no more stupidity from drivers coming out of Ringmead onto the Hanworth road or people coming of the Hanworth roundabout onto the Hanworth road too quickly.I'm reserving judgement on the main Hanworth junction until it's bedded in, but IMO most of the changes have worked quite well.
[Update} I just came home at 17:00 via the 3095 from Sandhurst into Bracknell and two things were instantly obvious. Fanning out into four lanes from one as you approach the lights will encorage people to drive on the wrong side of the road towards oncoming traffic to get to their lane if they're turning right or going straight o towards the sports centre. I watch someone do it today.
Secondly the traffic coming from the Hanworth road towards the lights was horrendous, much worse that when it was a roundabout.
Edited by ffc on Friday 11th June 17:22
The brain dead have arrived at the new junction
No 1 Range Rover coming up from Mill Lane and going through the centre road and doing a sharp right off it to access the Gt Hollands exit
No 2 idiot in a small domestic vehicle coming onto it from Gt Hollands and doing a sharp right onto the through road to get to Crowthorne
Coupled with the non removal? of the 30 mph signs from the Macs Roundabout to it ,all along Mill lane and those totally ignoring it, and the humungus queue back from it along Mill Lane.
Cannot wait for everyone to get back from work and the school runs. Think i will take some sandwiches and a flask and get comfy watching the chaos!!
No 1 Range Rover coming up from Mill Lane and going through the centre road and doing a sharp right off it to access the Gt Hollands exit
No 2 idiot in a small domestic vehicle coming onto it from Gt Hollands and doing a sharp right onto the through road to get to Crowthorne
Coupled with the non removal? of the 30 mph signs from the Macs Roundabout to it ,all along Mill lane and those totally ignoring it, and the humungus queue back from it along Mill Lane.
Cannot wait for everyone to get back from work and the school runs. Think i will take some sandwiches and a flask and get comfy watching the chaos!!
Edited by silverfoxcc on Monday 21st June 23:32
silverfoxcc said:
The brain dead have arrived at the new junction
No 1 Range Rover coming up from Mill Lane and going through the centre road and doing a sharp right off it to access the Gt Hollands exit
No 2 idiot in a small domestic vehicle coming onto it from Gt Hollands and doing a sharp right onto the through road to get to Crowthorne
Coupled with the non removal? of the 30 mph signs from the Macs Roundabout to it ,all along Mill lane and those totally ignoring it, and the humungus queue back from it along Mill Lane.
Cannot wait for everyone to get back from work and the school runs. Think i will take some sandwiches and a flask and get comfy watching the chaos!!
This is the same problem they had when the lights appeared on the A322 at the "Sainsbury's" junction. Loads of people turning right into the central road rather than going around in the prescribed manner. It still happens today but I think the timimg on the lights makes it less dangerous than it could be.No 1 Range Rover coming up from Mill Lane and going through the centre road and doing a sharp right off it to access the Gt Hollands exit
No 2 idiot in a small domestic vehicle coming onto it from Gt Hollands and doing a sharp right onto the through road to get to Crowthorne
Coupled with the non removal? of the 30 mph signs from the Macs Roundabout to it ,all along Mill lane and those totally ignoring it, and the humungus queue back from it along Mill Lane.
Cannot wait for everyone to get back from work and the school runs. Think i will take some sandwiches and a flask and get comfy watching the chaos!!
Edited by silverfoxcc on Monday 21st June 23:32
They are redoing the lights/roundabout at the sports centre. Currently if you are going across the A322 from one side to the other you get to stop at the lights and sit stationery in the path of traffic travelling down the A322 when tghe lights change. Apparently they are trying to fix that somehow.
ffc said:
They are redoing the lights/roundabout at the sports centre. Currently if you are going across the A322 from one side to the other you get to stop at the lights and sit stationery in the path of traffic travelling down the A322 when tghe lights change. Apparently they are trying to fix that somehow.
Apparently three weeks of total cockups followed by 11 weeks of digging everything upffc said:
They are redoing the lights/roundabout at the sports centre. Currently if you are going across the A322 from one side to the other you get to stop at the lights and sit stationery in the path of traffic travelling down the A322 when tghe lights change. Apparently they are trying to fix that somehow.
By removing the traffic lights? Or is that just wishful thinking.. Its funny seeing all these issues from longer term locals, as I moved out to Bracknell from West London, 18 months ago just after Christmas 2019, and despite of all the issues with these roads works and alterations, I still feel like a dog with two cocks driving around here compared to what stress levels were induced by driving in West London 
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