Issued by Midland Connect: A5/A426 Gibbet Hill junction:

New analysis released by Midlands Connect shows the vital Gibbet Hill junction is virtually at 100% capacity.

The A5 junction at Gibbet Hill, located on the Warwickshire/Leicestershire border is at 98% capacity every morning. This junction is an important strategic location interchange between the A5 and A426, providing connections between the M1 and M6, as well as providing resilience to the strategic and local road network. Average daily flows on this section of the A5 Corridor are approximately 7,000 vehicles in each direction but the Gibbet Hill junction is the third worst bottleneck along the A5 corridor; this is anticipated to deteriorate further as more planned growth comes online.

Heavy congestion has been observed at the junction, particularly during peak times, with the volume of traffic close to exceeding traffic capacity and resulting in delays and long queues which impact residents, businesses and commuters.

The corridor is one of the Midlands’ most important east-west connections and is at the heart of the “Logistics golden triangle”, bounded by the M1, M6 and M69. This is an area of the country from which drivers can reach 90% of the population within four hours, a very important location for logistics firms.

Integrated Transport Programme Lead, Swati Mittal said:

The A5 at Gibbet Hill is an area that we need to upgrade to unlock the growth the economy needs. At the moment the area is not fit for purpose, and we need to do more.

An intervention in this area is necessary to facilitate growth and jobs and allow us to then look at other parts of the A5 in the years ahead. This is the major piece in the puzzle.

Councillor Anthony Gillias, Chair of the A5 Partnership said:

When traffic snarls up, we see rat-running through nearby smaller villages, to avoid queuing at the junction, creating noise and speeding issues for residents. The Gibbet Hill junction is now at critical mass and requires the most urgent attention to complement the proactive work of local councils and their visions of growth, new jobs and prosperity for local people

We need a solution once and for all to fix this issue for local residents and the national economy.

Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: 

While the A5 is managed and maintained by National Highways, we fully support the work being done to secure improvements.

As the highway authority, we know problems such as bridge strikes, congestion and accidents are having a detrimental impact on our residents throughout Hinckley as well as the villages in the south of the county.  The A5 isn’t functioning, and we share the views of partners who are calling for improvements to be prioritised and additional funding made available.

Securing and delivering improvements on the A5 also resonates with the core themes of our draft new Local Transport Plan, which include supporting growth and boosting the local economy, improving people’s health and reducing the impacts of traffic on our communities. The urgent need is there to improve the road.

About Midlands Connect
Midlands Connect is the transport partner of the Midlands Engine, and the Midlands’ Sub-national Transport Body.
Midlands Connect researches, develops and champions long-term transport projects which will provide the biggest possible economic, social and environmental benefits for the Midlands and the rest of the UK.
We examine every option for improving major transport infrastructure in our region. The fundamental aim of these improvements is to transform regional and UK gateways, bringing the Midlands closer together and accelerating cost-effective improvements to unlock east-west connectivity that will enable the Midlands’ economies to work more effectively together.
Our 25-year transport strategy for the region has the potential to add £5 billion a year to the UK economy, supporting the work of the Midlands Engine partnership to drive pan-regional economic prosperity.
Our partnership is made up of 22 local authorities, nine Local Enterprise Partnerships, East Midlands and Birmingham airports, and chambers of commerce stretching from the Welsh border to the Lincolnshire coast. The partnership also includes the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Highways England and HS2 Ltd, who we work alongside to drive an unprecedented level of collaboration for the good of the Midlands and the UK.
The Midlands Connect Strategy, as well as its latest reports, can be downloaded here: https://www.midlandsconnect.uk/publications/
For more information on the Midlands Engine partnership please visit midlandsengine.org 

About Midlands Connect

Midlands Connect is the transport partner of the Midlands Engine, and the Midlands’ Sub-national Transport Body.

Midlands Connect researches, develops and champions long-term transport projects which will provide the biggest possible economic, social and environmental benefits for the Midlands and the rest of the UK.

We examine every option for improving major transport infrastructure in our region. The fundamental aim of these improvements is to transform regional and UK gateways, bringing the Midlands closer together and accelerating cost-effective improvements to unlock east-west connectivity that will enable the Midlands’ economies to work more effectively together.
Our 25-year transport strategy for the region has the potential to add £5 billion a year to the UK economy, supporting the work of the Midlands Engine partnership to drive pan-regional economic prosperity.

Our partnership is made up of 22 local authorities, nine Local Enterprise Partnerships, East Midlands and Birmingham airports, and chambers of commerce stretching from the Welsh border to the Lincolnshire coast. The partnership also includes the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Highways England and HS2 Ltd, who we work alongside to drive an unprecedented level of collaboration for the good of the Midlands and the UK.

Download the Midlands Connect Strategy, as well as its latest reports. For more information on the Midlands Engine partnership