M25 plan defended

The Highways Agency has identified that motorists cut through the town in order to miss a section of the motorway, causing congestion when they try to rejoin it. Engineers believe removing one lane on the spur road will encourage drivers to stay on the M25.

The Hertfordshire Highways joint member panel for Watford heard on Wednesday that during the trial, which will start on Monday, February 26, one lane will be coned off, allowing police to remove the cones easily if traffic does begin to queue towards the Hunton Bridge roundabout.

Panel chairman Andy Wylie said: "Everybody around the table was quite concerned about the effect it might have. It sounds good but we have concerns and they reassured us that the works are very temporary."

The joint member panel for Three Rivers will hear the plans on Wednesday, and Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst fears they will only increase congestion.

He said: "They have no evidence as to what effect this will have. Once it is reduced to one lane, traffic has got to go somewhere and queues will either back onto the roundabout, which has had its own problems recently, or go to other junctions."

Martin Deller from the Highways Agency said the trial was only temporary and no permanent plans had been arranged.

He said: "The M25 on that section suffers from congestion when people are joining at Junction 19. The trial will see if we can help merge the traffic better."

When asked whether removing a lane would cause queues to back onto Hunton Bridge roundabout, he said: "We are working with local authorities as well and all answers will be apparent after the trial."

He added that, despite plans to begin widening the M25 between junctions 16 and 23 to four lanes in 2009, it was "too early to say" whether this would have an impact on a decision to reduce the spur road to one lane.