M40 - A46 - A429
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Ordnance Survey map - Alternative aerial view
Where is it?
M40 junction 15. The London-Birmingham motorway meets the A46, the main road linking Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Coventry. This point is the southern end of the Warwick western bypass.
What's wrong with it?
Yes, it's another overloaded roundabout interchange. Nothing unusual there - we have a three-lane motorway sailing through underneath while all hell lets lose up above. A little way further north-east, the A46 has three lanes each way as well, so it seems a little harsh to just bring it to a halt at the roundabout like this.
Why is it wrong?
This junction is an overloaded roundabout interchange with a twist. Yes, the extra entertainment value here is provided by the junction's history. Not so long ago, the A46 just stopped here at a roundabout, meeting the A429 and the Warwick southern bypass. The A46 was grade-separated already to the north, and this roundabout was built with provision for a flyover. You can still see the flared carriageways today.
In 1991, a cash-strapped government opened the M40 through here. Among other cost saving design points, it ate the existing Warwick southern bypass and ploughed under this roundabout, providing even more interchanging traffic and grade separation in the wrong direction (and indeed, for several years, traffic on the M40 underneath was probably lighter than that round the junction itself).
What would be better?
A flyover is still possible, but probably won't happen until the political will exists to close the remaining gap in the A46 dual carriageway north of Stratford. However, it would remove a lot of traffic from this junction and ease the recurring problem of overturned lorries here.
Right to Reply
E-mail me with your comments.
Andrew Williams writes:
You don't mention it, but the M40 off slips and the A46 (I think only those) have traffic lights at the roundabout. The A429 from Warwick (and the other way?) doesn't. This means that traffic pours across the roundabout from the A46 SW bound, then pours round from the M40 southbound. The poor motorist on the A429 (ie. me, and lots of others!) has to take their chances and try to get onto the roundabout in the gap between A46 and ex-M40 traffic. It seemed to me that two cars (if you were lucky) could get out before the next onslaught from the A46/M40.
The other problem is that the traffic lights at the end of the M40 northbound off slip then stop everyone on the roundabout, so they queue back past the end of the A429 and further reduce your chances of getting out.
I don't know what the accident rate's like, but it struck me that there could be potential for quite a serious crash - the traffic off the A46 didn't hang about - if one person was a bit slow out of the A429 and someone came flying across from the A46 - ouch!
Space for a flyover? Build it!
Rob says:
There have been recent improvements to the Longbridge Island Junction, involving the re-signaling of the traffic lights, and other safety improvements, but its more of the same story really, queues from all sides.
Liam Wright adds:
As far as I am aware, Longbridge Island has the distinction of a road junction with at least five controlling agencies responsible for its upkeep. The A46 is a trunk road, the A429 (going into Warwick) is controlled by Warwick City Council, Warwickshire county council controls the other direction of the A429, and two different companies to the north and to the south maintain the M40 for the Department of Transport. This doesn't help when trying to organise maintenance for what is one of the worst motorway junctions in the country.
Apparently, a flyover is pencilled in for this junction, but it will not be built much before 2009, about 18 years too late.
Paul Everitt replies:
I have frequently had to use this junction (not for a few months now though - fortunately) and it is one of the most awkward junctions I've ever had to use. The lanes are (were) badly marked and the traffic lights sequence seem specifically designed to cause queues. Trying to get from the M40(N) to the A46(E) is particularly tricky. It can be so bad that on several occaisions I left the M40 a junction or two earlier and headed back to Coventry through Leamington.
I seem to recall an experiment where they actually switched off the traffic lights at this junction to see if that would improve things (I think it did - not by a lot though).
Chris writes:
The Highways Agency are currently planning to do a Chieveley on this and build a short new stretch of A46 to bypass the junction completely, as they did with the M4/A34 junction. That should remove enough traffic that the junction is no longer a problem; of course, whether the scheme ever sees the light of day is one for the Chancellor to decide.
Anonymous adds:
One option being considered for improving the situation is building a new bridge to carry the A46 over the M40 to the west of the existing roundabout. The existing A46 alignment would remain to connect this new flyover to M40 J15 - free-flowing slip roads to the north, at-grade roundabout (of much smaller radius) to the south. Not entirely convinced that this would be the most suitable arrangement.
Indeed, this is the improvement now set to go ahead. Oh dear.
Annette thinks it's a case of bad manners:
As I live off J12 of the M40, work in both Birminghgam and Coventry, and my son goes to school in Stratford upon Avon, I find it almost impossible to avoid this junction, and it's becoming more hellish all the time. It gets gridlocked on a regular, if not yet frequent, basis, though the frequency of these situations is increasing noticeably.
One of the problems is the way the junction is used by drivers. If only they would stay out of the yellow boxes until their exit road is clear, then a lot of the more serious congestion could be avoided. Granted, they may have to sit still for a few changes of the lights, but they would get round in a reasonable time.
On three occasions recently, it has taken me over two hours to get from Stratford to the M40 south (with hindsight, I should know better and have taken the country route through Wellesbourne, though if Longbridge Island is OK, then it's marginally quicker for me to use the main roads) simply because of the gridlock on the roundabout.
And where are the police and the Highways Agency when this happens? Nowhere to be seen! Cameras should be installed on the roundabout and EVERYONE who enters a box when they shouldn't, should be nicked, fined and given three points. Hopefully, that would make them think about using this difficult junction in a more sensible and less selfish way.
Peter Davies wants action!
The current plan includes not only running the A46 to the west, but also widening the main roundabout to 4 lanes and improving sliproads. Going north on A429 we get 12 seconds on the lights and we inexplicably lost our 3rd lane some years ago. With the Barford bypass there is some recognition that the A429 is a important road and this junction a bottleneck.
Alan Locke has no problems with it:
Improved recently by traffic lights, the island only really causes major headaches if approaching the South from the A46 in rush hour (you can queue all the way back to Warwick Parkway) or if there's an accident. Has a nasty habit to snarl up horrendously if there's so much as a shunt on the M40. Not bad I guess, but still one or two lanes that merge and lead to either party wagging fingers and hooting horns a-plenty.
Mark has some specific advice: (Apr 08)
Having been involved in an accident on this roundabout recently I would draw peoples attention to the lane discipline on the section of the motorway between the A46 on the north side of the junction, the A429 to Warwick and the M40 South slip road.
At the point when you have gone past the A46 north exit and are waiting at the entry of the A46 south, might I remind drivers that both the inside lane (marked A429 & M40 S) and the next lane over (marked M40 S) go down the M40 south slip road. If you are not aware of this it looks for all the world that the left lane only goes to Warwick. Had the right side of my vehicle hit by a driver who came across into my lane and may not have realised the left lane also goes that way!
This appears to be a common problem specifically at that point. It doesn't help when impatient drivers coming from Warwick on the A429 straddle the yellow hatched box forcing you over into other lanes. I agree with a previous post, you should only enter these boxes if your exit the other side is clear. There should be cameras!
