Confusing Ashington double roundabout near Home Bargains is deliberately ambiguous, council says

The junction on the road between Ashington Leisure Centre and Poundstretcher, which passes Home Bargains, is intended to be a double roundabout, and the road surface is composed of coloured bricks in a circular pattern.

But there is not any signage or road markings at the entrances to the double roundabout, and the centre of the junction is not raised up.

A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said: “This junction arrangement was part of the wider Portland Park development developed by Advance Northumberland and the whole layout was designed to promote low speeds.

“The junctions are intended to be treated as roundabouts, but with some degree of ambiguity in order to encourage motorists to maintain low speeds.

“The road layout was subject to a full planning application process and road safety audits, and from a road safety point of view appears to be working effectively with no recorded casualties at the junctions since the scheme was constructed."

But a News Post Leader reader got in touch to say they had almost been hit by another motorist on two occasions at the junction.

They said: “It is dangerous and the council does not want to listen.

“They are quick enough and sharp enough to try and take council tax, but when you ask them to fix something they do not want to fix it.”

The reader was unsure of the correct way to use the junction, and said that the lack of consensus on the correct rules was dangerous for drivers and pedestrians.