A303 Sparkford to Ilchester

[Cryoraptor]

Surry Hills [will someone please teach the Ozzies how to spell!]

If you think that's bad, you should see how many "boro"s the US has! How they pronounce "burgh" is arguably even more shocking.

[matt-thepie]

Only if you cling to the notion that public transport must make a profit. Despite the fact that those of us who don't own a car subsidise every motorist. Total nonsense.

It's just an inescapable truth that public transport is less cost effective at lower population densities. This is quite independent of the funding model used (e.g., profit-making versus subsidies).

Also, rural public transport is already subsidised. See here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collectio ... nd-funding

And car-related tax receipts far exceed public spending on motorists. About £32.3bn was raised from Fuel Duty and VED alone, with only £11.8bn spent on roads. See Q18 and 19 here" https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/economics#

In general it's a good idea to check your facts. Ideology is a poor substitute.

Not ideology, mathematics. You haven't factored in the costs to the environment, people's health from crashes, cost to the police... etc etc.

[Herned]

Are you going to offer anything quantitative or will you provide more anecdotes? Railways have just as bad an impact on the environment as roads, e.g. landtake and earthworks.

They don't. A two-track railway can carry more people than the busiest motorway on the planet.

But I'm not sure what any of this has to the A303... I drove through there yesterday, they do seem to be making decent progress now, there's still several hundred metres at the top of the hill from Sparkford where nothing much has been done, but a lot of the rest of it looks in good shape. They might just get it done by Christmas

[multiraider2]

I think everything from the last page including this post (but excluding the last one) needs moving to transport and a roads v public transport thread or something like that already in existence.

For my own tuppence ha'penny, I use public transport for commuting. I will drive to the UK holiday destinations because often the rental house is in a rural location and I don't want to wait with four cases for a twice daily bus, if one exists at all. Once there, the car often is left the next day and it will be a walk/explore the immediate surroundings. Then if possible/practical I will use public transport. Walk and bus back say or in reverse. I have also used heritage rail lines to get somewhere when I could have taken the car. I used the foot ferry and the Dartmouth Steam Railway to get to Greenway Halt and from Kingswear to get to Goodrington and walked from there to get to Paignton Zoo. But since Covid, the railway doesn't stop at these intermediate stations any longer. I have also used the Swanage railway to get there from a stay at Corfe Castle. But to have me and others switch to public transport completely, the provision for public transport would have to be increased significiantly and for me for holidays, including places that only some walkers a day would go to. Providing a bus or any other kind of public transport for all these places is just impractical.

If you are then saying to me "You just can't go to these places anymore" then I will fight you at every step.

[Ritchie333]

I'm the same. I'm holidaying in Cornwall this summer, and when I suggested taking the Night Riveria and using public transport for a week, my two kids both pulled faces. We also looked for accommodation near to any station, and it just didn't look as appealing. There are two potential railheads for a park and ride, one in St Erth which looks inviting and practical, and one at Bodmin Parkway where Google Streetview showed a full up car park with not many spaces, which leads me to suggest if we want to go to Plymouth, it'll be driving, even though I don't like the idea of finding somewhere to park and would rather train it in.

Of course, it also means this trip allows me to drive the A303 end to end, then the A30 well into Cornwall, which I haven't done in a while.

[Ritchie333]

I think everything from the last page including this post (but excluding the last one) needs moving to transport and a roads v public transport thread or something like that already in existence.

These posts have been moved to this thread.

[Scratchwood]

I've not been looking at this thread for ages, so was only reminded of this upgrade scheme when driving down the A303 on Thursday! Especially as I also visiting the Fleet Air Arm museum too, and had to use the turnoff at Camel Cross.

[Richardf]

So, the road is closed this weekend. What are they doing that needs a full closure?

[DavidBrown]

So, the road is closed this weekend. What are they doing that needs a full closure?

Apparently traffic management changes, including switching traffic onto another stretch of the new road.

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-road ... ilchester/

[Richardf]

Thanks.

So it's basically being done to get the traffic off the old road so it can be rebuilt as part of the D2?

Took me a little while to work out what they were doing from the update. Got westbound and east bound confused. Forgot which carriageway was the old road and which was new!

[SteveA30]

The old A303 will be reduced to just the 1/2 a mile or so at the Sparkford end after this weekend. Suddenly it looks as if Sparkford could beat Carland to:-
a. open as a D1 throughout
b. open as a full D2 later
The surfacing around Hazelgrove seems largely done, a change to that section could happen before the half term/Spring Bank Holiday, apart from perhaps a zigzag around the crossing point to allow rebuilding. The Mattia Diner will soon be at the end of a cul-de-sac and will be lucky to see out the summer season.

Betting is now open in the Sparkcross or Carford handicap. 20/1 for Sparkford opening first. 10/1 for Carland Cross.


The new changeover point is as shown......

[Richardf]

Changing things over and doing the tie ins at the Sparkford end to bypass the roundabout and create the GSJ will take some planning. Probably need another closure but that won't be easy with other routes/local traffic involved!

Yes they do seem to be making good headway now, especially given the problems they have had with the weather and flooding along there.

[Richardf]

Anyone feel that once this is finished it will increase pressure on sections further west that aren't dialled? Particularly Ilminster and the A358 to Taunton.

So often happens when a section is improved it just moves problems elsewhere.

[A307Patrick]

A358 Ilminster to Taunton should have been under construction by now but for some reason this has been put on hold. As well as the outstanding dualling west of this current project, the roundabouts at Podimore and Cartgate will stand out more.

[multiraider2]

It feels like, the first 30 times I used the A303, I did every mile of it in one go, both ways and the last 25 times I have used it, has been from Popham to Micheldever Station i.e. one junction. That's not entirely true as I went to Somerset on a few trips. However, it is good to see progress and I might be tempted to have a look back to my old friend in this section in late summer, depending on how they get on/what jams I can see earlier in the summer at about 8am. Devon not Cornwall as a destination, but it's still the recommended Google Maps "quickest" route. I'm still not going to go past Stonehenge though, despite the suggestion. But yes, improving the A303 and the A30 a bit at a time, which has always been the way, may well put extra pressure on remaining pinch points nearby.

[SteveM]

It feels like, the first 30 times I used the A303, I did every mile of it in one go, both ways and the last 25 times I have used it, has been from Popham to Micheldever Station i.e. one junction. That's not entirely true as I went to Somerset on a few trips. However, it is good to see progress and I might be tempted to have a look back to my old friend in this section in late summer, depending on how they get on/what jams I can see earlier in the summer at about 8am. Devon not Cornwall as a destination, but it's still the recommended Google Maps "quickest" route. I'm still not going to go past Stonehenge though, despite the suggestion. But yes, improving the A303 and the A30 a bit at a time, which has always been the way, may well put extra pressure on remaining pinch points nearby.

My money is that Podimore will fall over almost immediately. Hazelgrove is the 'throttle' which protects it. It's a place where there is a lot of crossing / joining traffic from the A37 and A372, with the latter being the route of choice (for me at least) to get to Taunton from the east.

It never ceases to amaze me that these junctions are clearly built (with the splay between the carriageways) to accommodate a flyover / underpass but we wait until it falls over before building it! Since (obviously) other online junctions are built at day one even if the traffic volumes aren't there to justify it (i.e. the southern 'trumpet' A37), I suppose that's the short termism for which we in the UK are famous for. It'll be the same with Cartgate once Podimore is done, albeit that one hasn't been so obviously future proofed with the layout.

[Richardf]

My guess is Podimore was intended to be done sooner, just waiting for the bits either side of Ilchester to be dualled. Unfortunately that's taken far longer than anticipated!

[jackal]

There was a recent though vague plan to GSJ Cartgate and Podimore as part of "A303 phase 2", which would also have dualled the remaining sections in RIS2-3. As far as I know it got no further than a line in a report.

As it is I'd settle for phase 1 actually being completed - Sparkford, Stonehenge, A358. Or actually even just two of these, given the uncertainty about Stonehenge and the A358.

[SteveM]

My guess is Podimore was intended to be done sooner, just waiting for the bits either side of Ilchester to be dualled. Unfortunately that's taken far longer than anticipated!

I suppose my thinking is that if Poidimore had been done first, before the current scheme, the 'throttle' effect would still have been there and overall the traffic flow during construction might have been less impacted. If it happens now, it becomes a scheme at the only flat junction on a 25 mile or so stretch of 70mph HQDC.

[Sam S]

Does anyone know why the Podimore Grade separation was not included in this scheme? It seems short sighted, especially when the Stonehenge scheme grade separates Countess roundabout which is also separated from the main part by a short section of dual carriageway. Stonehenge even included closing central reserve gaps miles away from the scheme east of solstice park. Considering this scheme is very small anyway (mostly online with only 2 major structures) compared to say the A30 Chiverton to Carland with around 12 new structures and 3 major junctions, and the fact that Podimore is ready for GS, it seems strange not to have included it in the scope.