COUNCILLORS in Westbury have asked Wiltshire Council to help prepare multi-million-pound plans for a new A350 western bypass of the town.

They are pursuing the option of a western bypass route for the A350 through Westbury linking to the West Wilts Trading Estate and the A36 at Standerwick.

A Westbury Town Council spokesperson said: “Westbury Town Council has been discussing options to help alleviate traffic problems within our town for a number of years.

“As the town has grown, so has the amount of traffic travelling along the A350 on a daily basis, and this has been further impacted by such factors as the closure of Cleveland Bridge and the Bath Clean Air Zone.

“We know our residents are not the only residents in West Wiltshire suffering from the noise, pollution and other dangers and risks posed by high volumes of cars and HGV’s passing along roads not designed for such a heavy flow of traffic.

“We believe that the best solution for Westbury is also the best solution for the whole of West Wiltshire – a bypass with direct access into the West Wilts Trading Estate.

“Wiltshire councillor Horace Prickett has put forward to Wiltshire Council, a proposed western bypass route for the A350 through Westbury. The intention of this proposal is to put the topic on the table for discussion by Wiltshire Council.”

Wiltshire Times: The proposed routes for a A350 western bypass for WestburyThe proposed routes for a A350 western bypass for Westbury (Image: Freelancer)

As part of its exploration of possible solutions to the traffic problems experienced in the town, the council has approved a £5,000 spend on nine Automatic Traffic Counts.

The council added: “We believe that in order to demonstrate as comprehensive picture as possible of the traffic flow on parts of the A350, A36, A361 and surrounding areas, traffic counts should be taken at key points at the same time.

“The suggestion is to have Automatic Traffic Counts placed at each location for the same two-week period to get a full picture of traffic flow in locations that would benefit most from the proposed bypass route.”

The ATC locations Westbury Town Council is seeking permission for are:

  1. A350 between West Ashton Crossroads and Yarnbrook. This will count traffic heading south some of which will head towards Westbury and some to the WWTE.
  2. A350 Westbury near Millbrook Development. This will count traffic coming into Westbury from the North.
  3. A350 Westbury near Chalford/Madbrook Farm. This will count traffic coming into Westbury from the South.
  4. B3097 Phillips Way. This will count traffic flow to/from the West Wilts Trading Estate.
  5. A36 close to the roundabout and junction with A350 but within the Wiltshire boundary. This will count traffic heading towards Standerwick.
  6. A36 at Standerwick close to the suggested start of the Western Bypass (with permission of Somerset).
  7. A361 at Southwick just before the turn to North Bradley at the roundabout.
  8. North Bradley somewhere near The Rank. To count traffic using this as a cut through.
  9. A361 at Bradley Road, Trowbridge, at White Horse Business Park.