A27: "Absolute chaos" and "ridiculous" traffic caused by Cams Hill bus lane project in Fareham, residents say

Engineers have been working to complete a public transport route which would run between Portchester and Fareham. A temporary road layout has been set up on the A27 in Cams Hill, with the carriageway being reduced down to a single lane. People in the surrounding streets in St Catherine's Way, The Causeway, Downend Road and others have seen traffic increase significantly - to a "dangerous" level in some cases.

Rob Milner, 49, of The Causeway, said his street is now being used as a "cut-through" for impatient motorists. He told The News: "People don’t want to queue on the single lane on the A27 in Cams Hill, so they are going through St Catherine’s Way, The Causeway, and onto Downend Road. We’re having some dangerous situations, causing tailbacks at the end of Downend Road. It’s a dangerous situation for families and pets."

Hampshire County Council (HCC), alongside Mildren Construction Ltd, is undertaking the £10m scheme to build a dedicated bus lane between Portsmouth and Fareham. The aim is to increase the reliability of public transport services and encourage more people to use them. Walking and cycling routes are due to be upgraded, and a dual direction cycle way is expected to be built outside Cams Hill Secondary School.

Mr Milner said carriageway levels of traffic is travelling down the estate mostly in the evenings around 4.30pm and 6.30pm - with drivers aiming to bypass the A27. "Motorists who don’t live on the housing estate are driving at speed, some over 30mph. It’s a problem," he added. "Respectable people who use the route regularly travel at 20mph.

"People are getting caught in the traffic at the end of Downend Road and having to turn back. There are lots of incidents and it’s absolute chaos. I think there will be continued problems, another accident is waiting to happen. Mr Milner said a collision took place on the A27 at the junction with Shearwater Avenue at the temporary traffic lights on Thursday, January 25. Police have been approached for more details. Residents have been signing a petition to review the Cams Hill road scheme.

Kirsten Richmond, 44, said the traffic problems have gotten "significantly worse" on The Causeway since 2020, with the street previously being "nice and quiet". She added that both her cats, Nigel and Reggie, died after being hit by cars on the street before the Cams Hill project started. "It's ludicrous," she said, "No one likes traffic and we do all we can to avoid it, but the speed at which people are travelling on The Causeway is ridiculous.

"Nine times out of ten, I have someone right up behind me as I try to reverse my car into my driveway. People are driving at 40mph and 50mph. People don’t care about how fast they travel. All this for the few people that use the buses, it’s not worth it. It’s a big waste of money and could have been spent on improving the traffic lights, filling the potholes and other ways to make our roads safer." Ms Richmond said so many motorists are using the cut-through that it isn't any quicker than using the A27.

"The council don’t believe there is a problem, and they’ve ignored residents. There has to be some kind of deterrent for people to make them slow down and make them safer. It's having a knock on effect on other streets. I don’t know anyone who supports this. The project needs to be completed as soon as possible. There have been lots of near misses."

One Portchester resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said it sometimes takes her partner up to an hour to drive to Whiteley to get to work. "Sometimes it takes me 30 minutes to get out of my driveway," they said. "It’s madness. I don’t think we’ll be listened to. I think the cycle lane will not be used enough, and I don’t think enough people will use the bus. The majority of residents think it’s a waste of time.” The resident said others have told her that a man was seen walking down the middle of the A27 in Fareham, as one of the pavements was closed off. Pavement and road closures have been signposted by the local authority. The project is due to be completed in the Autumn of this year.

Councillor Nick Adams-King, HCC executive lead member for universal services, said on the local authority website that the scheme will make it easier for people to make local journeys on public transport or by cycling or walking. He added that this would reduce the volume of traffic on the roads.

"Delivering a scheme of this scale will have significant benefits to the local community but will inevitably involve some short term disruption - I would like to thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding whilst these important improvement works are underway," he said.