A45 - A46
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Ordnance Survey map - Alternative aerial view
Where is it?
The original beginning of Coventry's 1930s southern bypass, and now also the point the 1990s eastern bypass ends too. The A45 enters from the M45.
It was nominated by Phil Deer
What's wrong with it?
It's a roundabout. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that; roundabouts are fine, generally speaking. It's just that this one is not quite up to the job. The roads meeting there are too busy for it. It's now festooned with a merry-looking garland of traffic lights, and it has broad three or four lane approaches from all directions. But it's not big enough to be signalised really, so all the stop lines are too close together and when waiting to join there's more road signing than you can read before the lights go green and you have to take a chance. It's not pretty.
Why is it wrong?
To the north lies a recently built bypass of Coventry, leading directly to the M6 and M69 and carrying an awful lot of traffic. To the west lies the southern bypass, with some grade separation and an awful lot of traffic. To the east lies the A45, the main road towards London, which becomes the M45 after a while, and carries an awful lot of traffic. All three work perfectly well until they collide at this little thing, with a couple of local roads thrown in for fun. It's just not enough for the amount of traffic that needs to pass through.
What would be better?
The Highways Agency plan to grade separate this in a few years time, so there is clearly a god of some sort. The trouble is they will only build a roundabout interchange - not enough for this location - and can't decide whether west-north or west-east will get the underpass. Perhaps a better solution would be a small free-flowing junction, and the local roads can be rerouted elsewhere.
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Matthew Ling adds:
In defence of this roundabout, it is hugely improved since the introduction of traffic lights about 3 years ago, prior to that the queues could add 30 minutes to journey times. As to the route which should get the priority for grade separation - definitely west-north, not just becasue this is my daily commute, but also because these 2 are by far the busiest roads onto the junction.
Ben Norwood writes:
From Summer 2004 Coventry Airport, immediately south of Tollbar End, will start budget flights to Europe (ThomsonFly). So what's the betting that will create even more car-traffic at the island?!
Phil Reynolds adds his own personal horror story:
The main problem is the lack of free-flow along the A45 - and the lane indications on the signs getting ignored by everyone. I was pretty much forced to take the A46 east from there the other day.
Stuart Hadley doesn't think it's all that bad:
I use the junction quite a bit, sometimes following the A45 and other times coming from the M45 and on to the A46 and, although most users of the island have no idea of lane discipline, it works well. With regards to possible upgrades, although there is a Texaco petrol station as you come round from A46 to A45(S) the two houses next to the petrol station appear to have been the subject of a compulsory purchase order so maybe there is hope for a direct link between A46 and A45(S), although the A423 junction a couple of hundred yards up the road may put paid to that idea.
James Lewis isn't keen:
Toll Bar End, Coventry- an absolute almighty death trap. I drove to the airport there today, what is this thing trying to be, a junction, roundabout, trafffic light or a hybrid of all of them? The signing is abysmal, the lights are hard to spot, the lane layout confusing and it has far too many roads leading to it.
Stuart Hadley is a bringer of good tidings:
It's getting fixed! The Highways Agency suggest a start date of 2008 for a grade seperated junction with the A46(S) flowing into a widened A45(W) and vice versa (two major roads sharing a two lane dual carriageway which also happens to be the Coventry bypass - whose clever idea was that!). This should sort out most of the problems and ease the pressure on those traffic lights.
Tony reveals the locals' opinion of the junction:
This roundabout is well known as "suicide island" (island being the local name for roundabout).
The fact that the airport is getting more flights has made the junction busier, plus the fact that the end of the runway is a matter of yards from the centre of the roundabout makes for fun, as the jets are but a few feet above your head as you fight for your space!
Jane makes special plans to save herself from the full horror:
Getting onto Rowley Road from the A46 in the mornings, even as early as 07.20, can be a bit of a nightmare. You have to get in the right lane! Getting from Rowley Rd to the A46 in the evening is an absolute nightmare, traffic from Siskin Drive blocks traffic from Rowley Road. Lorries block exit and entrance. They just sit there, blocking the way from the mini to the main roundabout. It took me nearly 25 minutes one Friday evening just to get from Rowley Road to the A46! I plan my departure from work very carefully now, either 15 minutes to or 15 minutes after the hour, be that 16.00, 17.00 or 18.00.
With thanks to Phil Deer and Nic Storr for information on this page.
