New analysis released by Midlands Connect shows the vital Gibbet Hill junction is virtually at 100% capacity.
The A5 junction at Gibbet Hill, located on the Warwickshire/Leicestershire border is at 98% capacity every morning. This junction is an important strategic location interchange between the A5 and A426, providing connections between the M1 and M6, as well as providing resilience to the strategic and local road network.
Average daily flows on this section of the A5 Corridor are approximately 7,000 vehicles in each direction but the Gibbet Hill junction is the third worst bottleneck along the A5 corridor; this is anticipated to deteriorate further as more planned growth comes online.
Heavy congestion has been observed at the junction, particularly during peak times, with the volume of traffic close to exceeding traffic capacity and resulting in delays and long queues which impact residents, businesses and commuters.
The corridor is one of the Midlands’ most important east-west connections and is at the heart of the ‘Logistics golden triangle’, bounded by the M1, M6 and M69. This is an area of the country from which drivers can reach 90% of the population within four hours, a very important location for logistics firms.
Integrated Transport Programme Lead, Swati Mittal said: “The A5 at Gibbet Hill is an area that we need to upgrade to unlock the growth the economy needs. At the moment the area is not fit for purpose, and we need to do more.
“An intervention in this area is necessary to facilitate growth and jobs and allow us to then look at other parts of the A5 in the years ahead. This is the major piece in the puzzle.”
Cllr Anthony Gillias, Chair of the A5 Partnership, said: “When traffic snarls up, we see rat-running through nearby smaller villages, to avoid queuing at the junction, creating noise and speeding issues for residents.
“The Gibbet Hill junction is now at critical mass and requires the most urgent attention to complement the proactive work of local councils and their visions of growth, new jobs and prosperity for local people.
“We need a solution once and for all to fix this issue for local residents and the national economy.”
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “While the A5 is managed and maintained by National Highways, we fully support the work being done to secure improvements.
“As the highway authority, we know problems such as bridge strikes, congestion and accidents are having a detrimental impact on our residents throughout Hinckley as well as the villages in the south of the county.
“The A5 isn’t functioning, and we share the views of partners who are calling for improvements to be prioritised and additional funding made available.
“Securing and delivering improvements on the A5 also resonates with the core themes of our draft new Local Transport Plan, which include supporting growth and boosting the local economy, improving people’s health and reducing the impacts of traffic on our communities. The urgent need is there to improve the road.”
