After a couple of false starts, the Bath and North East Somerset Councillor with responsibility for transport and highways is to meet with Peasedown St John Parish Council during August, to which the public can attend.

Cllr Tony Clarke, Cabinet Member for Transport, has been invited along to address the Village Council by B&NES Councillors, Karen Walker and Sarah Bevan.

The invitation comes just weeks after B&NES Council agreed to look again at what action could be taken to reduce the speed of vehicles around an accident blackspot.

Cllr Clarke had previously been invited by parish councillors, Lesley Mansell and Jonathan Rich, but these meetings had been cancelled. The village councillors have also been campaigning for better safety measures at the A367/Bath Road junction, at the southern end of Peasedown St John, which has seen a spate of serious accidents over the last ten years.

Cllr Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown St John), said: “We’re extremely pleased that Cllr Clarke has accepted our invitation to attend a full parish council meeting to discuss this notorious junction.

“For over a decade, the community of Peasedown St John has called for further safety measures to be implemented at the Bath Road/A367 junction at the southern end of the village.

“After a string of broken promises and disappointments, we’re hoping that Cllr Clarke will be open to cooperative working when he meets with Peasedown Parish Council on 16th August.”

Following the publication of a council report in March this year, which included the results of a £30,000 Feasibility Study, council transport chiefs said that no action would be taken to invest in further safety measures, such as a publicly-backed roundabout, because ‘the cost of building such a structure and the disruption to traffic during construction far outweigh the traffic and safety necessities’.

Following further talks, an agreement was reached last month that another survey to address the disputed points of March’s report would be undertaken.

Cllr Sarah Bevan (Independent, Peasedown St John) added: “Some of the report’s conclusions were based on what we consider to be questionable data, including

vehicle queuing times and numbers of vehicles in those queues. Some serious accidents definitely warrant further investigation.

“I’m encouraged by officers’ and the cabinet member’s agreement on this and look forward to an enhanced report, especially on the confusing signage for speed restrictions at, and on both approaches to, this junction.”

Cllr Tony Clarke will be attending the Peasedown St John Parish Council meeting on Tuesday, 16th August, at 7 p.m. in Beacon Hall. Any member of the public is

welcome to attend.

Nathan Hartley, village campaigner and member of Peasedown St John Residents’ Association, said: “I’d encourage as many residents as possible to attend this meeting on the 16th. This issue has been one of our community’s longest-running concerns, with many of us calling for a roundabout to be built at this junction since 2005.”