Lessons should be learned about the recent multi-million pound works at Greenbridge roundabout councillors have told highways officers.

Swindon Borough Council’s place and communities scrutiny committee discussed the roundabout in with Coun Garry Perkins saying it’s so alarming: ”I go round it with one hand on the wheel and one on the horn.”

The issues for councillors included a lack of visible signs to tell driver which lane to use, and traffic lights controlling access.

There are also concerns that the recent £5.3m upgrade was to equip the roundabout for traffic from the new eastern village development, yet it sometimes is clogged by existing traffic

Coun Garry Perkins told highways officer Tim Price: “I go round it half a dozen times a day, and it get busy at different times, at 7am everyone’s coming from Dorcan at 9am it’s the Oxford Road, at 3pm it’s busy because of the BMW plant shift change.

“The lanes are marked on the road surface but that’s covered by traffic when it’s busy, there aren’t visible signs telling people where to go. I always have to look out for people who want to move from the middle lane to go left who think I’m in the wrong lane.”

Coun Perkins added: “People always go on about Magic Roundabout, but I think that works like a dream- We should have put another magic roundabout here.”

Deputy mayor Coun Kevin Parry asked why traffic lights controlling access had not been placed further back from the roundabout allowing them to be turned off at off-peak times.

Mr Price said the lights controlling access where also provided to allow pedestrians to cross, and it would be prohibitively expensive to move them.

Coun Parry responded: “Will this lesson be learned, especially when you start on other roundabouts, like White Hart which I think is the worst roundabout in town?”

Coun Perkins asked: “The money for Greenbridge was provided to make sure it can cope with traffic from the new eastern villages - will it cope when traffic increases by 2-300 per cent, when it struggles now?”

Mr Price said he expected a package of measures to improve traffic would be included as part of the plans for the new developments, when they came forward.

One roundabout that was praised was the work undertaken by Swindon at Junction 16 of the M4. Coun Matthew Courtliff said: “That’s much better, so that’s one you’ve done well.”