Salisbury councillors call for rethink of congested A36

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 06:03 · Archive

Wiltshire councillors will debate calling on National Highways to review the traffic-plagued A36 through Salisbury.

Wiltshire Council will debate a motion on 20 October calling on National Highways to carry out a 'holistic review' of the A36 through Salisbury. Conservative councillors Chris Taylor and Gregory Cooper say traffic lights and road layouts are contributing to congestion on the strategic route, which links Salisbury towards Southampton and the south coast in one direction and towards Wilton, Warminster and Bath in the other.

The motion focuses on Southampton Road, Churchill Way and Wilton Road, particularly at roundabouts including College, St Mark's, Castle Road and St Paul's. The councillors claim the major roundabouts cause significant delays both for vehicles travelling along the A36 and for motorists trying to cross it, with congestion especially acute during term-time peaks.

National Highways has recognised inefficiencies at the roundabouts and allocated funding to replace existing analogue traffic signals with Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation technology. However, Taylor and Cooper argue that changing the technology does not go far enough. They highlight lengthy periods during 2026 when signals were not operating—more than seven months at St Mark's Roundabout and more than five months at St Paul's—with apparently no serious incidents, raising questions over whether the signals need to operate permanently.

How it is being reported

• Council urged to demand major changes to traffic-plagued A-roadA major rethink of the traffic-plagued A36 through Wiltshire could be demanded.Wiltshire Times · 15 Oct, 05:00
• Council urged to demand major changes to traffic-plagued A-roadA major rethink of the traffic-plagued A36 through Wiltshire could be demanded.Gazette & Herald · 15 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Wiltshire Council · National Highways · Chris Taylor · Gregory Cooper · Salisbury · A36

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