A303 - The Highway to Hell

It is Monday 30th December 2013.  It is raining heavily, 10mm already this morning, and it is blowing a gale; though not as bad as it was a week ago in the run-up to Christmas.  The great New Year exodus will begin today, with folks travelling east and west along the A303.  Of course, minds will be a little more focused than they were last week, particularly in relation to the flooding of the A303 between the Podimore and Cartgate Roundabouts in Somerset.

At the moment, Cartgate looks like this:

and Podimore looks like this:

The weather does look to be clearing a bit from the West, so there is some hope the rain will stop - at least for a while.


But if the traffic gets bad and you get stuck on the A303, what can you do to pass the time?  Well, how about a bit of karaoke?  What better track to sing along to than AC/DC's Highway to Hell.  It sort of sums up the A303 experience at the moment.  Enjoy:

A Merry Christmas - Tales from the A303

Well, if you have tried to travel along the A303 over the Christmas period, you have been enjoying anything but festive fun.

Apart from the usual traffic chaos caused by too much traffic trying to squeeze its way from the dual carriageway east of Amesbury on to the single and 3-lane carriageway sections from Stonehenge westwards, we have had to contend with the unpredictability of Mother Nature and everything she could throw at us in the way of rain. 

23rd December 2013 brought torrential rain and gales.  Several folks attempting to negotiate the A303 described the conditions as the worst they have ever encountered in over 25 years - that says something about the nightmarish time many folks had.  We decided that rather than pushing the campaign too hard, we would try and be helpful to those unfortunate enough to have to travel - so we spent the day listening to the radio, watching the Traffic England website and the traffic cameras and tweeting (See @rural warrior) using the #A303 hashtag.

Things couldn't get any worse - could they?

Well, on Christmas Eve, there were several problems.  A multi-car pile-up and oil spill to the east of Winterbourne Stoke near Amesbury caused westbound chaos, the A36 had its own problems, as did many of the minor roads and then...

...then the River Yeo burst its banks between the turnings for the A37 and the A3088 in Somerset and flooded the A303.  Result - traffic hell.

Well, drivers did what they always do in such circumstances and took the first diversionary route they could - straight in to more floods on the A37 and the A359.  Journeys that should have taken minutes were taking several hours.

Thankfully, those problems have resolved...

...at least for the moment.  The heavy rain predicted for today seems not to have materialised and we now have only light rain predicted for Monday.  That's a great relief for us here in Winterbourne Stoke.  At our local borehole in Tilshead up on Salisbury Plain the water level has risen 8 metres since Christmas Eve.  That's right, 8 metres in three days.  If we have a similar amount of rain to that we had on the 23rd in the next few days, then we could have springs breaking around the local villages a good month or two early and the risk of high land flooding.   Did you know that this part of the world is infamous for its floods - you'd never have thought of that on Salisbury Plain - but the Great Till Flood of 1841 is so notorious that many universities worldwide study it.

We'll keep an eye open to the weather for the next few days...

...just in case.  Then back to the campaign for 2014!

A303 Survey Results

I thought I would post the results of the three survey questions I had put on the blog when I first started it.   That gives me the opportunity to kick off some more questions in the New Year.  So, here they are:

Since the A344 was closed and Longbarrow roundabout modified, has the traffic on the A303

Increased                       
(88%)

Decreased  
(0%)

Stayed about the same 
(11%)

Well, the surprise here was the 11% who thought traffic levels have stayed about the same - but then again, internet traffic analysis shows that the blog is visited from English Heritage, Highways Agency, Wiltshire Council and other servers run by organisations that might have a vested interest in downplaying the issues.

Since the A344 was closed and the junctions at Longbarrow and Airman's Cross altered, has the traffic using the B3086, B3083, A360 and A36 in Larkhill, Shrewton, W'bourne Stoke, Berwick St James and Stapleford:

Increased a lot  
(88%)

Increased a little
(4%)

Stayed about the same
 (8%)

Reduced
 (0%)
 
So, even a few of those who hadn't noticed any increase of traffic on the A303 had to admit that the there had been rat-running - exactly as earlier surveys had predicted would happen if the A344 was closed without doing something about the A303.

Has John Glenn MP been active enough in pushing for a dual carriageway bypass for Winterbourne Stoke and Stonehenge?

Yes
(20%)

No
(62%)

Don't Know
(14%)

He seems to be anti
(2%)

What can I say?  You, the people, have spoken.  Taken at face value, it suggests that only 1 in 5 of you thinks he is pushing actively enough for improvement to be made to the A303.  In a safe Tory seat, that is very disappointing, especially as being in the Tory heartland, you might expect votes to be skewed a little in his favour.   John's standing did improve slightly after each of the Press reports of his activities in the Commons.  On the negative side, I did hear quite a few folks grumbling that he had not been out with the STAG protest.   Clearly, his constituents would like him to have some more engagement at local level.

The A303 Christmas Rush - COMPETITION Reminder

As the Winter Solstice and the A303 Christmas rush seem set to coincide over the next few hours, I just wanted to remind you of the two bottles of bubbly on offer for the slowest and most miserable A303 journey past Stonehenge recorded on video.   Full rules under the video clip below.

COMPETITION

We enjoyed the A303 at 1000mph so much, we thought we'd turn it into a competition - and we have a bottle of bubbly on offer to the winner.   The rules are very simple.  All you have to do is repeat the the journey along the whole 90 mile length of the A303 and record it on video.  Submit the video to YouTube and send us the link using the Contact Form at the foot of the page.

1.  The winning video will have the highest percentage of the overall journey time stuck in traffic between the Countess Roundabout at Amesbury and the junction with the A36 at Wylye.

2.  Journeys can be recorded West to East or East to West.

3.  We do not condone breaking any traffic laws in pursuit of the prize.

4.  Our decision as to the winner is final!

5.  The winner will be announced on 1st January 2014 - or as soon afterwards as we can manage!

If you know your attempt at glory has failed but happen to record something of particular interest to our campaign, caused by the poor quality of the A303, then let us see it anyway, their may be additional spot prizes for interesting stuff - if we can find a few sponsors amongst the business community along the A303 corridor.

If you want to get involved by sponsoring a competition, then we would love to hear from you also!

UPDATE To The Competition - By Popular Demand.

A second bottle of bubbly is on offer for the slowest video-recorded journey between the Countess Roundabout in Amesbury and the Wylye interchange with the A36 - no need to record a trip along the entire A303.

Rules 2, 3, 4 and 5 above also apply.

You might be very lucky and win both bottles!

UPDATE: The New Stonehenge Local Visitor's Pass

A good neighbour dropped by this morning to show me the new Stonehenge Visitor's Pass and the new terms and conditions for using it.  He also provided me with the flyer reproduced below.

As always, the devil is in the detail.  There have been some changes, for instance my current pass which was issued earlier in the year is valid for two years from the date of issue, whereas the new ones are only valid for a year.

One worrying condition is shown on the second side of the flyer above.  In the final paragraph it notes: "Car parking charges may apply."   Hmm, is this the license for English Heritage to give us free entry, but charge us £14.90 parking fee - increased pro-rata for every passenger?

You will note on the website and in bold print on all the flyers that:

ADVANCED BOOKINGS REQUIRED FROM 1 FEBRUARY 2014

That rather gives the impression that prior booking is mandatory. That isn't the case.  Dig a little deeper in the blurb where it says:

"Entrance to Stonehenge will be managed through timed tickets and advance booking is strongly recommended.  Pre-booking is the only way to guarantee entry on the day and at the time of your choice; there will only be a limited availability of walk-up tickets for sale on the day."

In other words, they are going to be as bloody-minded as they possibly can be, but they can't (yet) insist on you booking.

A few Bank Holidays with either lots of locals booking in advance, or just turning up on the day,could create chaos.  Of course, you could always stop for a picnic on Byway 12 if you just want to look at the stones, or park in Amesbury, pop into the family-friendly Amesbury Museum, then walk out to Stonehenge,  following the course of the old A344 - the Stopping Up order seems only to have removed vehicular rights of way - not those for pedestrians, horses and cycles.

You should take great care when trying to cross the A303 - don't walk into stationary vehicles, try and walk round them!

Highway Agency Færies Indulge in Futile Night-time Frolic

 One of the things that we, STAG,  noticed, time and time again during the SH2 demonstrations to press for the urgent dualling of the A303 past Stonehenge and Winterbourne Stoke and an end to rat-running brought about by the premature closure of the A344, was just how dangerous negotiating the Longbarrow roundabout was.  Time and time again, eastbound and westbound vehicles on the A303 failed to stop, or even slow significantly, for the roundabout.  When they did stop, they were often several feet into the left hand lane - accidents in the making.

There were several near misses that we witnessed on Tuesday 17th December and it was only by dint of great good luck that none of these resulted in an accident.  This was largely due to the good nature and common sense of the STAG drivers, who frequently gave way to ill-mannered traffic from the left in situations when they were well within their rights to press ahead.

Then overnight on 17th/18th December, the Highways Agency Færies struck. As if by magic, new road markings had appeared.  "Aha", we thought,. "They must have been sprinkling magic dust to to improve safety on the roundabout, to improve traffic flow, to make everyone's life so much easier."

Clearly, after hours going round and round the Longbarrow and Airman's Cross roundabouts, then spent a night having nightmares about it, we were all somewhat delusional.  Far from improving things, the Highways Agency Færies had succeeded in making things worse.  Much, much worse.  It seems they intend to up the accident rate for the winter solstice and the Christmas rush to the West.  Merry Christmas one and All.

We thought we should illustrate the before and after state of the roundabout.  So here we go, travelling south from the Stonehenge Visitors Centre on the A360. On the 17th it looked like this:

 and on the 18th, like this:

Not too much difference here.  But let's go round the roundabout a bit.  Here is another shot from the 17th:

 and on the 18th:

 Oh look, the lanes leading past the westbound entrance of the A303 have changed and we have a new right-turn lane that suddenly starts of the right.  Look also at the two cars ahead of me.  They are, in both cases, following the natural line round the roundabout - which isn't defined by any of the white lines.

Going a bit further round the roundabout past the southern exit for the A360, we see this on the 17th:

 and on the 18th, we see this:

 We now have the appearance of a dotted line that cuts across the 3 lanes of moving traffic at 45 degrees - a recipe for disaster.  It seems to be there to encourage westbound traffic to plough into southbound or westbound traffic from the A360 - or to sit in lanes across the roundabout.   Note that there appear to be no "Keep Clear" signs any more.  These silly lines lead across to the westbound A303 exit from the roundabout.

And here we have the exit back north along the A360 on the 17th December.   Note how the natural route off the roundabout takes you into the left hand lane of the A360.  The right-hand lane is in the wrong place entirely - as it is on each of the other three exit lanes.  Obviously designed by folks who had never used a roundabout in their lives!

On the 18th, we get:

More dotted lines guiding the eastbound A303 traffic - which the northbound traffic has to cross at 45 degrees to leave the roundabout.  Again, the second vehicle follows the natural line off the roundabout and keeps in the left-hand lane.

I predict that from this weekend, we are going to see an increase in accidents where northbound and southbound traffic on the A360 is "T-boned" on the passenger's side by eastbound and westbound traffic on the A303.

Given that the roundabout planners employed by the Highways Agency don't appear to have much of a clue about road design and the Highways Agency themselves even less of one, judging by the way their randomly shoving down road markings seems only to have made matters worse, why don't they try the blindingly obvious for a week or two.  Stick a 360 degree video camera at high level in the middle of the roundabout and determine the consensus routes worked out by the road users themselves.  When you've got that information, mark the road accordingly!

Woad Is Me - The Stonehenge Fiasco

Oh dear, I really didn't intent to use this blog to do anything other than support the STAG road campaign.  Sadly, earlier today, after we had completed our demo, I decided I would pop into the new visitor's centre.  All the hype on the TV and radio over the last few days had suggested that it was well worth a visit, and a great improvement over the old facilities just off the A303 near Stonhenge bottom.

By the time we arrived, the weather had taken a turn for the worse; it was grey and drizzling and the first views of the visitors centre was much as described by many already.  It looks a bit like an African building site with floors held up by wooden poles.  Here is Stonehenge:

and here is the African equivalent:

OK, the Africans are clearly more ambitious as they have gone up two stories rather than one.

The car park is excellent though, with good-sized and well-marked spaces for disabled drivers, but not as many parking spaces as I had expected.

Walking down to the entrance we were met by King Arthur and his Loyal Arthurian Warband.  They were in fine voice, asking that English Heritage returned the bones of the dead to the ground, rather than exhibiting them in the Visitor's centre.  I'm afraid here was yet another disappointment, but not one of English Heritage's making.  There had been rumours of King Arthur Pendragon being attended by a bevy of bare-breasted maidens.  Sadly, not a one in sight, but you can't blame them really, the weather was atrocious.  Not a day for woad.  We'll come back to King Arthur's demands later...

...but at this point I wasn't very sympathetic.

Once you get beyond the scaffolding, Denton Corker Marshall have managed to create an impressive building, although they do seem to have captured much of the "feel" of the old visitor's centre by the pay booths - it feels like you are in a trench, below ground level.  Fortunately, it doesn't yet have the redolent smells of the old facility.  Despite this, architecturally, the building is impressive.  I can't fault the structure. It could be so wonderful.

The next bit of good news, at least for locals, were the arrangements for those of us with Stonehenge Local Residents passes (and for those of you who are members of English Heritage or the National Trust and who also get free access).  There was a separate line to the till and it all went very smoothly.  Much, much better than the old facility.

 Well the Local Residents admission is one thing, but the souvenir first day ticket in plasticised cardboard.  Oh come on, get a grip, this isn't a Disney attraction.


Right, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.  The new visitor's centre is meant to be a triumph of the age, to set Stonehenge in context, to show a wealth of exhibits and to inform the visiting public.  Oh, dear, how sad, never mind.  It fails in its main purpose.

Now don't get me wrong.  the exhibit cases are first class, the exhibits themselves rivetting.  BUT and it is a huge but, there are so few exhibits and they are so poorly displayed.  Little information is provided when it should be oozing out of every nook and cranny.  There is no clear way round the exhibits.  I felt cheated somehow. It's just lots of wide open space with bugger all in it.

Huge boards, each carrying a single word.  Pap for the brain-dead if you ask me.  Contrast this space with that given over to the retail area.  See the plan below:

The upper oval shows the retail area - filled largely with the sort of "kiss-me-quick" Stonehenge branded tat commonly found at seaside emporia everywhere, or more expensive stuff found at every English Heritage and National Trust site in the country.  Most of the exhibits are in the 5 small cases shown in the lower oval.  How small?  Well, if two people are looking into one of the sides of each case, no-one else gets a look-in.  I make that 40 people looking in the cases and the place is too busy. No wonder English Heritage want people to book - there isn't enough room for too many!

Now there are other exhibits round (some) of the walls and there are books in the Objects Chamber (pretentious twaddle for "Room") - but of course, you can only see 2 pages of each book at most.  But there is a heck of a lot of empty space - the Interpretation area for instance, that takes up at least 20% of the whole exhibits area.  OK, you can stand in it and get to experience what it might feel like to stand in the centre of Stonehenge at different times of year, but wasting so much physical space that could have been put to better purpose, when 3D headsets could present it so much more effectively.

I got mugged by BBC Wiltshire in the shop and asked what I thought of the exhibits.  I told them - much as I I have written it above and emphasised it by complaining that twice as much area seemed to be devoted to the shop as was given over to archaeology.   English Heritage clearly took umbrage at this and pointed out that the ground area of the exhibits area is twice that of the shop.  True, in total ground area, they are perfectly correct.  However, as the retail area is packed to the gunnels with "stuff" and you have to search to find anything in the exhibits area - the functional occupancy is somewhat different.  Compare the sizes of those two ovals - the ratio of functional shop:functional exhibits is more like 3:1 than the 2:1 I suggested to the BBC.

Time for another plus point.  There is a large and much-needed cafe on the other side of the complex.  This is bright and airy, makes excellent use of space and is well-planned. This is a bonus for visitors and although the size is reasonable, it is of a similar size to the retail area.

Embarrassingly for English Heritage, every other person interviewed mentioned the coffee, the food, the gift shop - but not the archaeology.  Even BBC Wiltshire themselves, during the news bulletin I heard, seemed to spend more time commenting on the delights of Stonehenge jam and English Heritage wine than they did about history.  Soooo sad!

I can't help but think that English Heritage have been so eager to screw money out of visitors (Cafe, huge gift shop and double the admission price from February) that they almost forgot to add the exhibits. 

Let's go back to King Arthur and his desire to rebury the human artefacts.  If they were being displayed with full academic rigour, in a setting that explained the context in which they had been found, in an educational way that both informed and challenged the viewer (See the Amesbury Archer display in Salisbury Museum - and witness the reaction of children who see it for the first time - hushed, almost reverential tones, at seeing a body in "the ground".) I would be the first to say keep them where all people, not just academics, can learn from them.

Then compare it to one of the Stonehenge displays

  Instead of being displayed contextually, the remains are arranged to fit the design of the cases and the accompanying text is so uninformative as to be pointless.  I can see no reason why the public wouldn't get as much from looking at a good plastic facsimile as they would looking at the real thing.  That isn't to say I agree that they should be reburied.  I would prefer they were placed out of the public gaze in an area where they could be subject to legitimate scientific study, but where they were normally kept in a place of dignified security.  Perhaps English Heritage and the Loyal Warband could come to a compromise?

I've been pretty damning about the new Visitor's Centre.  It could be so much more than the pale, dumbed-down, Disney experience it now offers.  Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is to be found in the home of Disney - the USA.

A month or so ago, I met up with an old friend in the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall in Washington DC for coffee.   Knowing my interest in history, my friend suggested I popped across the Mall to the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Natural History to see a special exhibition that was running called  Written in Bone: The Forensic Files of the 17th Century Chesapeake Bay Area. Click that link and this one (the Forensic Files) to get a feel for what they have done.   I wouldn't be averse to English Heritage flying all those involved in setting out the Visitor's Centre to see how a thoroughly enthralling, thought provoking and contextually stunning exhibition can be put together in a relatively small space.  Not dumbed-down, not Disneyfied, but gritty, educational and thought provoking.  It kept my attention for over 3 hours - today the Stonehenge Visitor's centre managed 15 minutes.

English Heritage still have time to get it right - it just needs more.

More:

- space devoted to artefacts and exhibits
- information
- context

and less tat!

Round and Round Like Demented Hamsters!

...well, after two days of driving between Airman's Cross (perhaps someone should point out to Wiltshire Council that calling a roundabout "Airman's Corner" is stupid on every level!) and Longbarrow Roundabout, the dedicated few had definitely begun to feel like demented hamsters.

It was a great pleasure to see Ian West, the Lib-Dem Wiltshire Councillor for the Till & Wylye Valley Division and Chair of the Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council at the head of the procession.  But as a friend on Twitter (#tragicyclist) pointed out - John Glen MP (Con) was rather noticeable by his absence.

Thanks to all who took part over the two days - we achieved STAG's aim of getting publicity and considering what a young organisation we are, have done surprisingly well. Why did people come ot to demonstrate at all in such an IMBY, rather than NIMBY, way?  Good question. well posed.  

Well, if you live with the A303 day-after-day, or you are a villager harassed by impatient rat-runners, it all gets very personal.  As one dear friend, who used to live in Winterbourne Stoke, said to me earlier in the week: "I'm not the sort of person who ever comes out to demonstrate - about anything.  But this is different.  People died at the bottom of my drive."

Special thanks, yet again, to Wiltshire Constabulary.  While the "Grey Ghost" of yesterday was noticeable by his absence from his muddy field gate, a marked police car did join our procession for several circuits - good to see such stolid support from so unexpected a quarter.  But saying that, Wiltshire Police are the poor beggars who have to clear up the carnage on the A303 every time there is an accident - perhaps their participation shouldn't have been so unexpected.

We'll let you know when our next activity is planned and what and where it will be.  St Valentine's Day could be a favourite - as that is the day Stonehenge changes it's admissions policy to booking in advance - and there could be some traffic problems as a result.  Alternatively, any of the Bank Holiday weekends next year look promising.

As for suitable themes - that's a bit harder.   We did think of "Re-home a Mole Day" (Just don't ask!) and abandoned that idea on grounds of animal cruelty and practicality.  However, advertising the new year as "2014 The Year of Rock - Bring One of Your Own to Stonehenge" could have very helpful consequences.   If every person who went to visit Stonehenge took a 1 kg chunk of rock - preferably inscribed with an apposite hand-carved graffito - these could be piled alongside the A303 to help screen the stones from the road (or should that be the other way around).   English Heritage will be delighted, I'm sure, as at a stroke they will achieve their widh of isolation, will have a much better idea of how people can move huge quantities of rock to Wiltshire and the graffito will ensure more mysteries at Stonehenge for future archaeologists. 

So, demo over, I decided to pop into the new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre and see for myself what it was like.  After all - our protest has nothing to do with Stonehenge itself, or the New Visitor's Centre, or the staff who are employed there.  We are just not great fans of English Heritage.

I wanted to be amazed, I wanted to be impressed, I wanted to see that £27 million had been well-spent...

A Big Thank You From All At STAG

Thanks to everyone who took the time to turn out this morning and this afternoon to protest about the traffic chaos caused by the closure of the A344 and the subsequent "improvements" to Longbarrow Roundabout and Airman's Cross and to draw attention to our campaign to dual the A303 along its entire length, reduce rat-running through local villages, bypass Winterbourne Stoke and solve today's national and international embarrassment that is the Stonehenge World Heritage site.

Yes, you read that correctly.  We do want to try and achieve what English Heritage has so publicly and humiliatingly failed to do - that is to return Stonehenge to a car-free environment.  The only way to do that, is to remove the A303 from being alongside the stones - either by burying it, or moving it a long, long way away.  It must've been very embarrassing for English Heritage today to entertain the World's Press at the opening of the new Visitor's Centre with the traffic on the A303 still roaring along.  If they weren't embarrassed, they damn well should have been.  

A particular vote of thanks to the nice policeman who sat in his car by the side of the road for several hours this morning and a couple more this afternoon.  He must've been bored to tears, poor beggar, just waiting for something to happen that never did.   We were very tempted to indulge in a bit of civil disobedience - just to give him something to do.

Of course, the irony today was the car crash in Shrewton - at the very time we were pointing out the dangers of the rat run!

First Demo Achieves Its Goal

It was really encouraging to see the turn-out for the first of our three demonstrations at Stonehenge today (17/12/2013) and tomorrow (18/12/2013.).  Most of the folks we expected to show up,  did so, plus many others who turned up on the day.   Bar a few hiccups - mainly due to wet sticky tape and escapee balloons - it all went very well.

I hope we didn't annoy too many motorists - that wasn't our intention - but we did make our presence felt.  As you might imagine, whilst most of our fellow road users took things in good part, there were the odd few muppets out there this morning.   All of them fell into three categories - and all clearly are very important.  Pity the police weren't about to see how well they controlled their cars whilst doing 80mph+ in a 40mph zone - they would've been very impressed.

The three categories of muppet were:

Short spotty youths in over-priced and under-serviced grey Audis;
Yummy mummies (strangely ALL blonde!), clearly late on school run yet again, in black Mercedes;
White van men, smartphone on steering wheel as they text as they drive, drink coffee and light new fag from old one.

Just imagine how dangerous any of them might be if they had opposable thumbs?

I'm afraid that I for one wasn't prepared keep my promise to Inspector Lange of Wiltshire Police to "keep up with the speed of other traffic."

Janet and Dave Hassett, the founders of STAG led from the front, the back and the middle of the procession - the great advantage of a circular route; even when they were behind, they were in front.

Most importantly, we achieved the primary objective, which was to make use of the Press being at Stonehenge for the opening of the new Visitor's Centre to grab a bit of Press attention.

So thanks to all who turned out this morning and I hope you will be back at 1300 this afternoon and again inthe morning to greet the public!

Hopefully, we will have some better photos later in the day!

Listen to the STAG story on dualling the A303 and stopping rat-running through local villages on BBC Wiltshire Radio from 13:35 today.

Protest STOP PRESS. Well, Actually, Drive Past Them and Smile!

Well, the 17th December is nearly upon us and the protest procession is nearly ready to rock and roll.  A STAG Press statement has been sent out to over 750 different news organisations (Yes you read that correctly - 750) and interviews have been recorded with the BBC TV and another, with BBC Radio Wiltshire is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

The BBC are planning to film the STAG convoy from a vantage point near Airman's Cross from around 10:00 am tomorrow, so if you are coming along to support the cause - SH2 - to dual the A303 from Beacon Hill to Honiton - bypassing Stonehenge and Winterbourne Stoke - do be there for the TV cameras to maximise publicity.

PLEASE - If you possibly can - join us on the loop of road between the Longbarrow Roundabout and Airman's Cross roundabout by the new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre (the thing that looks like a barn with bamboo supports holding the roof up).  We start between 08:30 and 09:00 - see you there!

Revolution - And the Wheels Go Round - FREE Magnetic STAG Car Signs for 10 Lucky Campaigners!

It struck me that many of the people who are likely to turn out for the demos next Tuesday and Wednesday are likely to be retired given that the demo is in the middle of the working week and I began to wonder what the local constabulary would make of that.  After all, demonstrators are usually students or young adults - silver-surfers they are not.

Then I thought a little harder.  These folks are the children of the 60s and 70s - to whom demonstration was almost a way of life. I must confess that for a period in the 70s I was known in Bristolian National Union of Student circles as "Red Angus" - and carried a notorious banner that promoted free assistance for marine cetaceans of indeterminate colour and gender assignment - it saved producing a new banner for every new demo.

So, far from being the "slippers by the fire, snooze after lunch" generation, the group likely to be out in force belong to the most militant generation ever seen in the UK - but we do promise to be good!

Do come and join us for one, or all of the sessions we have planned by joining the A360 between Longbarrow Roundabout and the new roundabout at Airman's Cross a the times shown below:

Tuesday 17th December 2013
  
08:30 until 10:00
and
13:00 until 16:00

Wednesday 18th December 2013

08:30 until 10:30 

More specific details can be found here in our earlier post.

10 FREE Campaign Car Signs to Give Away

Thanks to the generosity of Stagman, we have 10 magnetic STAG campaign car signs to give away.  All you need to do is use the Contact Form at the bottom of the page and:

- Promise, faithfully, that you will turn up to one of the demonstration sessions and help out in the future.

- Leave a contact email address or phone number so we can contact you and arrange to get a sign to you before Tuesday.

Be the Envy of All Your Neighbours

Leap Mountains with a Single Bound

Of Whingers and Whiners.

There have been some interesting reactions to the idea of using a coffin in the demonstration to protest the premature closure of the A344 and the pressing need to dual the A303 and reduce rat-running through local villages - and of our intention to drive rather than walk.

Whilst we hope not to upset anyone who is recently bereaved or grieving, the use of coffins in demonstrations has a long and well-established pedigree all around the world.  Just Google it and see for yourself.   So when a local undertaker takes umbrage and throws his teddy in a corner, it seems only fair to point out that just last week, a group of demonstrating undertakers in Washington DC made use of empty coffins in their demonstration!  What's sauce for the goose is clearly sauce for the gander.

The next objection is because of the "high death and accident rate at the A344/A303 junction."  Clearly, if this were true, it would be a good reason to support the closure of the A344, but the assertion simply isn't borne out by the police statistics.  Whilst any accident is undesirable, we need to deal in facts.  The police figures indicate that over the last 5 years, there were no deaths (red), one accident involving serious injury (blue) and two involving slight injury at the A344/A303 junction.  Given how dangerous the junction appeared to be, it comes as a shock to see that it was one of the safest parts of the road between Stonehenge bottom and the Wylye interchange (Click to enlarge).

If you want to get upset about the real carnage on the A303, then think about those living in Winterbourne Stoke!

Perhaps the most logical complaint is "why are we contributing to pollution, noise, etc by driving."  Well, yes we are - and that is the point. It's a TRAFFIC protest!   Whatever pollution we cause in a few hours of demonstrating, will be more than offset by a few hours of good traffic flow along the A303 if we can bring forward the dualling of the road by even one day.  Think about that next time you are in standing traffic on the A303.

Come Along and Join In the SH2 Protest at Stonehenge on 17th and 18th December 2013 - Dual Days of Protest for a Duality of Causes

Well, we've been promising for some time that an "event" was going to be organised by STAG, the Stonehenge Traffic Action Group, to coincide with the Press and Public openings of English Heritage's new visitors centre at Stonehenge on 17th and 18th December 2013.

Why are we doing this?  Well, for dual reasons.  First, we wish to mark the untimely passing of the A344, at the behest of English Heritage, and to the detriment of many villages for many miles around.  The closure of this road, together with the inane changes to Longbarrow roundabout and the ruination of Airman's Cross have led to the long-predicted traffic chaos on the A303 and dangerous rat-running through local villages.  For many years, up until early 2011, Wiltshire Council were resolutely against the closure of the A344 WITHOUT the prior improvement of the A303 - then for reasons that no-one seems to want to explain, they lost their nerve.  So this part of our protest will also serve to remind Wiltshire Councillors, and particularly those charged with Transport issues, that they once had spines.

Second, we need to look forward to the future.  We have to ensure that plans to dual the A303, bypass the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and improve the Highway to the Sun along it's entire length do not get delayed, or forgotten yet again, as they have so often over the last 50 years - with at least £43 million wasted on reviews, planning and public inquiries since 1991 and with another £15 million being used for the next feasibility study.  In the shorter term, we need to pressure all parties to ensure some short-term solutions are put in place to relieve the beleaguered local residents AND the frustrated travellers wishing only to get to destinations to the east and west of Stonehenge in a reasonable time.

A duality of causes - SH2 - with Stonehenge at the centre

We want to draw all this to the attention of the Press who will be visiting Stonehenge on the 17th December.  We also want to ensure the British public and foreign visitors are aware of the problems exacerbated by English heritage - and the 18th of December is a wonderful opportunity to do that.

A duality of audiences - SH2 - with Stonehenge at the centre

Whilst STAG will have supporters at the Stonehenge Visitor's Centre to deal directly with the Press, our main protest will focus on the issue at the heart of our campaign - the desire to be able to pass and repass along the highway in an efficient, timely and unobstructed manner.   The only sensible way to protest in this way is by using a motorcade - in this case a funeral procession!

A duality of protest - SH2 - with Stonehenge at the centre

You are cordially invited to join the STAG protest motorcades on the:

Tuesday 17th December 2013
  
08:30 until 10:00
and
13:00 until 16:00

Wednesday 18th December 2013

08:30 until 10:30

as detailed below:

Please note - and this is very important to us, to the local community and to Wiltshire Police, that this is intended to be a peaceful protest. It is a protest that only seeks to pique Press and Public interest and causes maximum embarrassment to all those - who by acts of omission, commission or merely inaction or incompetence - have precipitated the current situation.  We do not wish to obstruct or delay any other road users - simply being there is enough.

The processional route is really quite simple - the "loop" of the A360 between the Longbarrow Roundabout on the A303 and the roundabout outside the new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre (route shown in green on the diagram below - click for detailed view) where the A360 used to join the A344!   

SH2 Protest Route (Green) and Diversions (Blue)

Tuesday 17th December - Morning

Join the loop between 08:30 and 09:00 - the funeral procession will be leaving Shrewton at 08:30 and travelling south down the B3083 to Winterbourne Stoke.  From there, it will head west along the A303 to Longbarrow Roundabout to join the loop.  The nice thing about the "loop" is that you will be behind the "hearse" whenever you and they join it.  Drive round and round the loop until 10:00 when the 1st procession ends.

Tuesday 17th December - Afternoon

Join the loop at 13:00 - stay till 16:00 if you can.

Wednesday 18th December - Morning

Join the loop at 08:30 to 09:00 - stay till 10:30 if you can.

Please come and join in - even if you can only manage a single session or just a couple of circuits - the more the merrier!

Helpful Advice

 If there are traffic problems, we have discussed two diversionary routes (shown in blue on the map abave) with Wiltshire Police. The first leads westward from Airman's Cross to Shrewton along the A360, then down the B3083 to the A303 at Winterbourne Stoke, left along the A303 to Longbarrow Roundabout then back onto the loop.  The second diversion route goes left off the A360 onto the A303 at Longbarrow roundabout, east until you reach the Countess Roundabout on the A345, then north to Durrington.  Turn left at the roundabout on to the London Road through Larkhill then left again at the Bustard Cross Roads onto the B3086.  Travel south towards Airman's Cross.

If in doubt about whether to leave the loop - follow the coffin or any car carrying a STAG SH2 sign.

Please make sure that:

- your car is road legal - taxed, MOT'd and insured;
- all loads, signs and banners are secured;
- you follow the Highway Code;
- you obey all speed limits;
- you drive at the speed of the surrounding traffic - UNLESS it is exceeding the speed limit.
- you don't unnecessarily cause an obstruction on the highway;
- you obey any lawful instruction from a police officer.

In the event of a major traffic incident on roads being used by STAG, an unforseen security situation etc., the procession will be suspended with immediate effect. 

We will endeavour to provide a Twitter feed on the day - look for hashtag #SH2 - but this cannot be guaranteed.

John Glen - Latest Question on the A303 - 4th December 2013

John Glen has passed us a copy of a question he raised in the House of Commons yesterday and wishes to assure us that he is pressing the case for improving the A303 at every possible opportunity:

John Glen (Salisbury) (Con): In welcoming the news about the progress on the feasibility study for the A303, will the Chief Secretary bear in mind my constituents’ concerns about Stonehenge and Winterbourne Stoke? Unless that area is properly unblocked, people will not be able to get down to Devon to enjoy Tiverton and Honiton. This has been going on for several generations, and we need to make sure that it is sorted in any plans that come forward next year.

Danny Alexander: I think Stonehenge has been there for more than several generations, and I do not intend to remodel it at this Dispatch Box or anywhere else. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to one of the issues on that route. We are conducting the feasibility study to work out what are the right steps to take at every stage. I am sure that his concerns will have been heard by colleagues in the Department for Transport, and I will certainly make sure that they are taken on board, as the feasibility plan is developed.

Yet More Traffic Chaos on the A303 - and then the A36

For the second time in 3 weeks, traffic on the A303 has been brought to a standstill in the middle of the day as heavy earthmoving equipment was transported from Andover to Whatley Quarry near Frome.

On this occasion, the transporter is pootling up the middle of the A303 - of course, if the A303 was the correct width for a rural A road they might not have had to do this.

A pretty monstrous piece of equipment - set nicely against the STAG SH2 Dual the A303 sign.

In some ways, its a shame that these aren't heading off to start a bypass on the A303...

...wishful thinking for a few years yet.

Photos courtesy of John Harper of Winterbourne Stoke - Early warning of the impending traffic jam courtesy of STAG.