Safety fears over plans for a new road layout near Fareham

Residents living in Southampton Road, Fern Way and Titchfield Park Road in Segensworth, Fareham have started a petition opposing the plans to create the dual carriageway between Segensworth and St Margaret’s roundabouts.

They are concerned about the impact this will have on safety in the area and feel a traffic study should have been carried out.

Paul Ojla, 60, from Southampton Road, wrote a letter to Hampshire County Council following a deputation he gave at a council meeting last month.

In it he wrote: ‘Our argument, which was based on close observation and many years of experience of using the road on a daily basis, showed that traffic has flowed normally along the single carriageway even during peak times prior to the current phase of roadworks at St Margaret’s.

‘Hence converting the road to a dual carriageway is not necessary and the expenditure would be unjustified.

‘The finite resources available would be better spent on other road developments in real need of improvement.’

The letter also said there were concerns on the safety of road users and the health and well-being of residents.

It added: ‘The hazards arising from this project could result in serious injury or death and hence should be the subject of proper risk mitigation strategies.’

A spokeswoman for the council said information has been given to people in the area.

‘As with all road improvement schemes, we have made sure that information is available to residents,’ she said.

‘In this case, letters were sent to people ahead of public exhibitions and a consultation was held.’

She added: ‘This is a major road serving the whole of south Hampshire, and these works are part of a package aimed at improving access to Fareham and Gosport.

‘They are designed to mitigate the impact of the increasing numbers of cars that are forecast on these roads.

‘The scheme is designed to provide two lanes in each direction between 
Segensworth and Titchfield, and therefore remove bottlenecks and improve journey times.’