Anger as drivers say £9.5m road has '˜not made a difference' to Gosport and Fareham commute

Newgate Lane East was built by Hampshire County Council in a bid to provide a better link between Fareham and Gosport.

The £9.5m road was finished this month – but motorists are not convinced that it has been a success, saying it has not made a difference to northbound traffic.

But residents on the old Newgate Lane, which has now been sealed off at Peel Common roundabout, say that they now have ‘a nice place to live’.

Mark Noble, a gardener from Stubbington, said: ‘I use the road a lot for work and although the actual road itself is fine and nice it has not made a difference to the problem of traffic.

‘People are confused by all the lanes and moving from one to another for each exit and it is utter chaos. If there are buses on the road as well they just stop and that causes traffic issues.’

Asda community champion Sharon Noble added: ‘It is a nightmare and has just moved the problem from the old road to the new one.

‘We get such bad publicity on Facebook with people saying don’t go to Asda on Newgate Lane as getting out the car park is so bad and this new road development has not helped us at all.

‘From when I arrive in the morning to when I go home at night the car park is solid and people can’t get out on to the main road. The new road has not made any difference.’

Tidying up work is yet to be carried out at the road.

Planners hoped the road will improve journeys, as it does not have access points to homes and businesses along it as the old stretch does.

Dave Hunt, from Lee-on-the-Solent, added: ‘Until they do something with the Gosport traffic they will not fix the problem. It is the same problem they have been having for the last 40 years.

‘They need to make a bridge for people in Gosport to get to the motorway.’

But while the new road may not have alleviated traffic problems for motorists, residents on the old stretch are thrilled with how it has turned out.

Hayley Thomas said: ‘Our road is now a nice place to live. It used to be a lane before all the houses and now it is a lane again. I have seen lots of cyclists and pedestrians and we feel like a community already.

‘It is also a lot safer for us getting out of our drives.’

Hampshire County Council did not reply to a request from The News for comment on the issues raised.