PEOPLE concerned about an accident blackspot on the A4 Keynsham bypass are still waiting for action to be taken.
They say the issue is caused by vehicles pulling across traffic to access the retail park at the former Wyevale Garden Centre, instead of continuing to the Hicks Gate roundabout and then swinging around it to rejoin the bypass on the opposite side.
They want the reinstatement of a no-right-turn sign that used to be in place to stop drivers making the dangerous manoeuvre.
When the Voice reported on the issue in April 2025, Bristol City Council said it was aware of the safety concerns.
Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport and connectivity committee, said at the time: “We are now considering next steps and will continue to explore both short-term and long-term options to improve road safety at the junction.”
But a year on, road users continue to raise the issue on FixMyStreet and the city council says it is waiting for the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) to finalise its travel proposals for the A4 between Bath and Bristol.
Cllr Plowden told the Voice: “Following our initial review after the removal of the no-right turn sign by the previous landowner, we decided that we would not progress a Traffic Regulation Order at this junction whilst other longer-terms plans were being considered for this section of the A4.
“However, keeping residents safe on our roads remains a priority, and as our continual monitoring of collisions across the city has identified an increase in injury collisions at this location in recent years, we will revisit our previous review to determine if any other options are now feasible.”
In response to a freedom of information request, Avon and Somerset Police told the Voice last month that, since the start of 2023, they had recorded a total of 21 collisions on the A4 near the retail park, with incident severities ranging from ‘damage only’ to ‘fatal’.
A Keynsham motorist who contacted the Voice last year said drivers were also leaving the retail park in a dangerous manner, by turning right from the exit opposite Ironmould Lane and cutting across the bypass to head towards Hicks Gate.
He said: “Locals have been warning that without action it’s only a matter of time until somebody is killed at this point.”
The retail park is home to a gym, hot-tub showroom, used-car showroom, a private ambulance station, and a hand carwash.
Pictured, the exit of the retail park (left) where some drivers cut across the bypass to leave and go right, towards the Hicks Gate roundabout or to enter from the Bristol direction
No sign of action at Keynsham accident blackspot
