Closed
Misleading sign on A12 and poor diversion route
Sent to National Highways less than a minute later. FixMyStreet ref: 3542254.
Saw sign on my way to walton on the Naze on the A120, advising that “A120 closed after Marks Tey”. We were leaving the A120 at Marks Tey and I understood this to mean that I could exit AT Marks Tey but not afterwards. On arriving at Marks Tey the exit roundabout was closed and a yellow diversion sign was pointing me back where I had come from. We followed this, to find it took us back to Chelmsford and onto the A12. This added an extra 40 miles and over an hour to the journey in total. With petrol the price it is, this added a good £7-8 to the journey. The diversion signs were very far apart and I was at one point worried I had missed one. Luckily I hadn’t. It was dark, we had my 84 year old, incontinent, mother in law in the car and I had been at work all day. When I was able to consult a map, I saw that we could have gone from the A120 down to Witham, Rivenhall etc and didn’t need to waste expensive petrol going all the way back to Chelmsford. My MIL had just been told we were not far now from Walton on the Naze, then was very confused and upset when we seemed to be going away again! Not happy! I consider that a refund of our additional petrol costs would be fair under the circumstances. My number is 07526 124879.
Updates
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Thank you for contacting National Highways about the diversion route on the A120 at Marks Tey.
We appreciate it can feel frustrating to be diverted when you have an elderly passenger, we apologise for the confusion your mother in law felt.
We’re pleased to say the work has been completed, so there shouldn’t be any further diversions for this work. We endeavour to keep diversion routes suitable for all types of vehicles. For example, HGV’s can’t go through certain roads so routes are planned to ensure all vehicles are able to safely reach their destinations. All alternatives are considered before making the decision on the best route for all road users.
Maintaining and improving our highways is considered a statutory duty on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, as covered under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. Therefore, we’re sorry to say we’re unable to offer you compensation for your lost time or petrol costs. Please visit our website here and filter to the date and road you’ll be travelling on to help you plan journeys in the future. Thank you again for your report.
Kind regards
National Highways
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