Taunton driving instructor, Peter Chambers, of 5th Gear Driving School hits out against poor road conditions

Peter Chambers, of 5th Gear Driving School, has been fighting the battle against hazardous roads for years. He claimed he had written to the council a number of times, and either didn't receive a response, or he was left with no answers as replies passed on responsibility to someone else.

Areas that are a cause of concern for Mr Chambers are Hamilton Road, the Priorswood roundabout, the two roundabouts entering Heathfield and Deer Park housing estate, and a host of road signs that are covered up by overgrown bushes and trees.

Mr Chambers said: "When people can't see road signs and markings clearly, it causes hesitations, then hesitations cause accidents.

"It is very frustrating, I get no response to my letters.

"I'm not just doing this for my students, I know this is about the safety of everyone using these roads. People that are new to the area or are passing through will need the road signs to plan their journey."

Mr Chambers believes the roundabouts near Heathfield are a problem area as they point to Taunton being straight across the roundabout, when he feels it should be a right turning. According to Mr Chambers, anything past 12 o'clock in the terms of a clock face should indicate a right turning.

One area that was successfully changed due to Mr Chambers' effort was one of the signs along Priorswood Road heading towards the roundabout. There is a series of signs pointing to the M5, pointing right and straight ahead. Mr Chambers queried why there were two signs pointing straight ahead for the M5.

He said: "I know why they have done it, and it is not technically wrong, but I don't understand why the road signs are sending people to the motorway in Bridgwater, why are they sending traffic through little villages along the way.

"People might see the signs and panic they have gone the wrong way when they are trying to get to the motorway."

There is now only one sign pointing to the M5 straight across the roundabout.

On some roads around the area arrows and lanes have worn down to being barely visible, sometimes next to areas of road that have been freshly painted.

Mr Chambers added: "It seems to me like they spend a lot of time fixing the unimportant roads, the ones that only a handful of people use.

"I don't understand how some roads in more residential areas will be freshly painted, when some main roads have lanes that you can barely see anymore."

One area Mr Chambers highlighted as particularly bad is St Andrew's Road where two lanes split into three. The lanes are only clearly visible as you arrive at the traffic lights.

A spokesman for Somerset County Council said: "We appreciate the views of Mr Chambers and thank him for getting in touch. We have attended meetings with the Taunton Driving Instructors’ Association last year and corresponded with Mr Chambers earlier this year. He should also receive a full response from us in the next few days.

"Several locations given by Mr Chambers are current development sites and are not yet completed, so the road markings, signage etc on approaches may well relate to the final layouts and not those of the current, temporary arrangements. All new highway works are subject to independent safety audits throughout construction and again once they are complete.

"Road safety is a top priority for us and we make sure we always adhere to national standards when it comes to road layouts and signs."

If anyone spots a problem on the road they should contact the council on 0300 123 2224 or via www.somerset.gov.uk.