Is the A30 at Temple the New Cumberland gap

[wrinkly]

Thanks Jen

I'm a bit surprised by the way the Crash Barriers start these days.
I suppose it stops them launching anyone into the air if they hit the start of the barrier, but does it stop the barrier from impaling the vehicle ?

They have blunt devices on the ends and the first several yards are specially designed to collapse in stages, bringing the vehicle to a stop.

[Lewis1997]

Whilst not necessarily directly linked to Temple, I had much interest in watching google maps (traffic flows) down at Carland Cross and couldn't help but notice how traffic appeared to be slowing up/standstill from between Summercourt and Mitchell to the approach of Carland Cross. Whilst inevitably it will be dualled eventually, I was wondering perhaps the introduction of a 50mph speed limit W/B from Summercourt to Carland Cross would help in regulating traffic flows a bit on approaching the Carland Cross roundabout. Likewise, perhaps something similar could be implemented further down beyond Camborne to the Hayle Roundabout. Just a thought though

[multiraider2]

It's rather obvious that removing the bottleneck at Temple increases the rate of flow of traffic reaching Carland Cross from the east and exacerbating the problem. (The same thing happened at Temple from the west. It wasn't that bad until Goss Moor was completed.) They are going to have to get on with this sharpish. Still at least the Newquay-bound are happy.

[Paul237]

Really good to see this is finally open! Was hoping to use it this year but it wasn't quite ready in time for my holiday and next year we're considering south Cornwall so likely won't use the A30... I'll get there at some point, though.

[Comstock]

Didn't Indian Queens used to be a notorious bottleneck on this same road?

[A320Driver]

Didn't Indian Queens used to be a notorious bottleneck on this same road?

Yep! Confluence/multiplex of the A30 and A39, plus the main road to Newquay (A392) thrown in for good measure.
Bypass (end of Goss Moor to Summercourt) opened in 1995.

[Comstock]

Didn't Indian Queens used to be a notorious bottleneck on this same road?

Yep! Confluence/multiplex of the A30 and A39, plus the main road to Newquay (A392) thrown in for good measure.
Bypass (end of Goss Moor to Summercourt) opened in 1995.

Wow, longer ago than I thought. I do remember hearing about dreadful holdups there in the newspapers and on the radio.

[Berk]

Not for me, anyway. What doesn't make sense is why Goss Moor wasn't done first, or even at the same time as Indian Queens, wouldn't have had another 13 years worth of congestion then.

Goes Moor used to be the worst bit until Temple was fixed, though a lot of it was due to bridge bashes.

[SteveA30]

It only became the worst after other bottlenecks were sorted. The bigger towns were the worst but, after Okehampton was bypassed in 1988, attention moved to the rural stretches, such as Tregadillet (1989) Oke - Launceston (1993) other parts of Bodmin Moor and then, Indian Queens/Fraddon. When that was done, Goss Moor was the worst. When that was done, Temple was the worst. Now, the attention is switching to the Carland Cross to Blackwater stretch. After that, St Erth to Long Rock rbt.

[C83]

Carlands Cross will be interesting, as it's less obvious which is the major route beyond there, are there traffic stats for the A30 West v A39 South?

A freeflow split would be the simplest solution, only needs 1 bridge, but that makes local access somewhere between difficult and impossible.

[A320Driver]

Carlands Cross will be interesting, as it's less obvious which is the major route beyond there, are there traffic stats for the A30 West v A39 South?

A freeflow split would be the simplest solution, only needs 1 bridge, but that makes local access somewhere between difficult and impossible.

Don't know the official stats but it's almost certainly the A30W. The proposed junction is a bit rubbish, marginalising the A39N to A30E movement. A two-bridge GSJ linking to the existing A30 towards Zelah, and the service area would be vastly better. It does say on the official drawings that the layout isn't finalised....

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... tion-d.pdf

[RichardEvans67]

Just seen that Google Earth street view now shows what it looked like in May 2017.

[Norfolktolancashire]

Managed to get stuck in half an hour of eastbound queues last Friday due to lane closures on this new stretch, looking on the Cornwall Council website it seems that the restrictions are finally going to be lifted permanently this week.

Is it cheaper to open a new stretch of D2 earlier and put lane restrictions on it for months to complete groundworks or open it say a month later with all works completed?

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... le-1508582

[crowntown100]

Managed to get stuck in half an hour of eastbound queues last Friday due to lane closures on this new stretch, looking on the Cornwall Council website it seems that the restrictions are finally going to be lifted permanently this week.

Is it cheaper to open a new stretch of D2 earlier and put lane restrictions on it for months to complete groundworks or open it say a month later with all works completed?

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... le-1508582

It was due to be finished when it opened last year, but combinations of poor weather and, I expect, some underestimations by Kier they ran late finishing it. They did everything they could to have it open by summer last year, but it's a shame that they have had to narrow it again, and for so long.

Cornwall Council did put out a statement a while ago saying that Kier had been fined for running late.

[RichardEvans67]

From looking online it is almost impossible to find out it there is anything still going on. The Kier web page is just blank, and has been for months. Google searches hardly ever turn up anything.

[multiraider2]

There are still maintenance vehicles/effects in the compound there, but Temple was all clear when I drove it for the first time east and west over the half term. Perhaps they stopped any remedial works for the holiday. Lovely to go along there again with no holdups. One thing that surprised me: The VMS at the end of the M5 was showing "Bodmin via A30 85 mins" and "Bodmin via A38 90 mins". I know these kind of messages don't reflect the fact that some people exceed 60 mph and are not always a true indicator, but I was surprised at the small difference, knowing how slow some of the A38 west of the Tamar is.

[Herned]

That's odd, Bodmin via A30 on that sign is normally something like 64 minutes - must have been an accident or lane closures somewhere

[multiraider2]

That's odd, Bodmin via A30 on that sign is normally something like 64 minutes - must have been an accident or lane closures somewhere

Whitsun half-term holiday traffic. It slowed in several places, particualrly on the hills; when everyone jumps into the overtaking lane for tractors, caravans and the like.

[crowntown100]

That's odd, Bodmin via A30 on that sign is normally something like 64 minutes - must have been an accident or lane closures somewhere

Whitsun half-term holiday traffic. It slowed in several places, particualrly on the hills; when everyone jumps into the overtaking lane for tractors, caravans and the like.

They had cleared it before the holiday and, AFAIK, it is due to stay that way now.

[Berk]

Still, 1½ hours max from Exeter to Bodmin isn’t bad at all.