£2m Cundy Cross upgrade approved after highways boss says earlier developer-led scheme failed to ease congestion

More than £2 million will be spent tackling traffic congestion at one of Barnsley’s worst bottlenecks, after council bosses admitted a previous developer-led scheme failed to deliver the improvements residents expected.

In 2017, the roundabout at Cundy Cross, where Pontefract Road meets Grange Lane, was replaced with traffic lights as part of a developer-led scheme required under planning conditions for the Meadow View housing development.

The changes were designed to manage extra traffic from the new estate, but Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has confirmed the scheme was not led by its Highways Department and did not include formal post-completion monitoring.

Instead, the council’s Urban Traffic Control (UTC) team relied on routine CCTV and signal system observations. Since then, the junction has become a known congestion hotspot, with peak-time tailbacks stretching back to Stairfoot Roundabout.

A 2024 modelling study carried out to inform the new scheme confirmed that the previous changes failed to resolve traffic flow issues, with queuing and signal inefficiencies still prominent.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has now approved a £2m council-led business case to overhaul the junction.

Planned improvements include widening the signal-controlled approaches to allow more vehicles through during green lights, removing laybys on Grange Lane, simplifying the Meadow View junction, and closing the Lang Avenue exit entirely.

Councillor James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, said: “We entirely understand residents’ concerns about congestion at Cundy Cross following the 2017 developer-led scheme. These works, which were required as part of the Meadow View housing development, aimed to manage increased traffic but have not fully delivered the improvements residents expect.

“That’s why we’re leading a new, City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement-funded improvement scheme. This scheme is designed to tackle the persistent congestion issues head-on, with a focus on improving traffic flow, reducing queuing, and enhancing bus journey times along the A628 corridor, while accommodating increased traffic from the planned 2026 Stairfoot roundabout improvements.

“We’ve also carefully considered a range of options, including roundabouts, and the current proposal offers the best value for money and benefit to road users. I would encourage residents to view the detailed plans on our website and share their feedback.”