PEOPLE living in and near Oxford Road are fed up with months of traffic queues, faulty traffic lights and trenches dug outside their homes.

The latest phase of the highway improvement work on this street is set to end on May 6 at 5pm, but there has been disruption at the route on and off since last April, claim residents.

Swindon Advertiser:

James Leonard has lived on the road for 43 years and says this is the worst traffic he’s ever seen.

He told the Adver: “A lot of us are coming to the end of our tether because of the delays and lack of information about when it will end.

"I know the road is in a bad way but this work has gone on for too long with no explanation.

“There never seems to be any progress. It once took me 40 minutes to get home from Greenbridge. Cars stuck in traffic with their engines running are polluting the air.

“It’s dangerous, too – people come along so close as they try to squeeze past to turn off onto Ermin Street because they don’t have the patience to wait for 10 yards, it’s shocking.

“We used to get regular updates from the contractor but that stopped.”

Swindon Advertiser:

One resident who lives in Coleview has seen the knock-on effect of works on the nearby White Hart and Gablecross roundabouts.

He said: “This has been a problem in the area for two years, it’s frustrating and inconvenient because bus services are disrupted and you have to add time to all your journeys. People struggle to get to work and I’ve missed doctor’s appointments.

“The work needs to be done but every day brings a new issue with traffic jams and people’s drives being blocked.

“Getting out of Coleview in any direction is virtually impossible because it’s an island in a sea of roadworks, plus Slade Drive is used as a rat run and the temporary traffic lights keep malfunctioning.

“You get apologies but no action and the blame is always on someone else."

In March, the Adver reported on safety fears from residents who saw impatient motorists speeding through traffic lights as they turned out of their drives.

After one particularly bad traffic jam last week, the coned-off inside lane of Oxford Street leading to the White Hart roundabout was reopened in a bid to ease congestion.

Swindon Borough Council has been approached for comment.

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