Norcross roundabout continues to divide opinion among Fylde coast motorists

The development, by Highways England, took 11 months to complete.

The roundabout was made bigger, traffic lights were installed, and approaches to the junction were made wider.

The project was undertaken in a bid to reduce congestion and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists crossing the main road, which links Fleetwood to the M55.

But two months after its completion, many motorists remain confused by the new roundabout layout, and concerned about the potential for future accidents.

On August 18, a two-car collision on the roundabout resulted in minor injuries for those involved, but nobody was taken to hospital.

Gemma Jackson said: "I went to all the consultation meetings and was appalled by the lack of local knowledge from the presenters.

"Locals were furious, and their concerns were right. There will be more accidents if there isn't better signage and better lights sequences, to mention a few things."

Another resident, Clare Shepherd, credited the lane markings painted on the road as one of the biggest issues with the roundabout.

She said: "I think one of the biggest issues is that most of the information is painted on the roads, and if the roads are busy there are cars parked over the directions.

"A clear sign leading up to it showing exactly which lanes to go into would help, as things have changed. You now need the middle of the three lanes coming from Cleveleys going to Carleton, instead of going into the right hand lane on the old roundabout.

"There also needs to be some lights on the entrance towards Carleton."

Engineers were called to the roundabout last Monday (August 31) to fix the newly-installed traffic lights, which had stopped working overnight.

But this was not the first case, said resident Dawn Wainwright: "They need to make sure the lights are functional at all times. Twice last week, coming from Poulton to Fleetwood at teatime, the lights at the Norcross junction were not working."

However, there were some motorists who felt that drivers using the roundabout were more likely to cause an accident than the new layout.

Heather Butler Bancroft said: "I’ve been cut up every time I use it because others don’t know which lane to be in. It’s not necessarily that there’s anything wrong with the roundabout, but it feels dangerous or tricky while folks are getting used to it."

Chelle White said: "People who can drive seem to have no issue with the roundabout, I go round it daily and have no problems reading the road and getting in the right lane," and Ian Halliday said: "Drivers for A585 suddenly get stuck behind those going to Carleton, get frustrated and try to swerve left into the path of those coming through in the left lane.

"I have seen at least a dozen near misses in the past month."

In response to complaints online from residents using the roundabout regularly, a spokesman for Highways England said: "The safety of road users is our priority and we routinely assess the performance of completed projects and make adjustments where areas for improvement are identified.

"The changes we have made at Norcross junction are designed to reduce shunt-style incidents in queuing at the roundabout, make it fairer and safer for drivers travelling through the junction from local roads and make using the junction safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

"With any new road layout there’ll typically be a three to six month period before the new arrangements become fully embedded and road users gain a degree of familiarity with the changes.

"At Norcross, it will inevitably take some time for road users to get used to the new arrangements but we will continue to monitor the operation of the junction closely."

Last month, Highways England acknowledged there had been disruption during the roundabout's construction works, and asked people to give feedback on the project.

It said it was "certain there were lessons to be learned."