'Slingshot' Preston roundabout will 'lead to panic'

Lancashire County Council has recently added extra lanes and traffic lights to the Golden Way roundabout in Penwortham, near Booths supermarket, to cope with additional traffic from the under-construction Penwortham Bypass and widening of the A582.

But worried motorists say new lanes are causing panic and near-misses by “slingshotting” drivers in the wrong direction.

The problem concerns a right turn into Millbrook Way from the direction of Kingsfold. Motorists who drive in the right-hand lane, showing a right-turn arrow, find that the lane actually takes them off down the A582 towards Preston, causing drivers to suddenly dart right, crossing two lanes of traffic, in order to reach Millbrook Way.

Motorist Simon Walsh said: “That right turn to Booths effectively tightens, creating panic I would think for especially elderly drivers or nervous folk. That’s the slingshot effect of missing the turn and ending up either in the side of another vehicle or down to the roundabout at Leyland Road.”

Jessica Simpson said: “Diabolical traffic set up. Had a near miss which was not my fault.

“I will drive miles around now to avoid going near it. The whole debacle has been going on for far too long - everything worked perfectly before LCC decided to change things”.

Penwortham County Councillor David Howarth agreed. He said: “As someone who has lived in this area for many, many years, I’ve ended up in Preston since these changes were made.

“Unless you have a really good local knowledge of the roads, you are going to have problems. The lights are confusing too. It’s going to take time for this to bed in.”

Lancashire County Council declined to comment when approached by the Post.