Does anyone remember the junction of Broadwater Road and Bridge Road East?
There were traffic lights in the 1960s and 70s, but at some point a roundabout was put in and you could drive through the middle of it, in two directions, to avoid going round it.
It was supposed to make it easier for lorries.
Can anyone remember when it change from traffic lights to the roundabout and when it changes back again.
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Thank you Michael. You should understand that I moved south in 1967 and then moved north in 1969, but made the return to Welwyn Garden in 1976. I do remember the roundabout, and you jogged my memory a bit mentioning the policeman plus the book from Tony Rook. I actually found a bunch of books on the Garden City myself and one of them was his book, and I do see that.
I recall, as we approached the four way crossing in our little Mini, that there was huge congestion. There was one policeman manning four junctions – we were sat there for about half hour. The policeman had a long beard and all the drivers were all cursing as we got impatient, and he just ignored us. It was a lot better when they installed traffic lights.
An up date to the above post. In Tony Rook’s book called Welwyn Garden City Past first published in 2001 it shows a picture of the “experimental roundabout” at the junction of Bessemer Road and Bridge Road East in May 1971 and according to Mr.Rook originally a policeman was stationed at this junction on ‘point duty’ to direct the traffic before a set of traffic lights were tried out as were various experimental layouts using islands and curbs made from tyres before a revolutionary roundabout called ‘The Staffordshire Knot’ was created before this roundabout it’s self was then replaced again by another set of traffic lights (during 1971).
We drove down to the Garden City at Christmas 1970 to see my mum and dad. I remember driving down Bessemer Road (before the current Mundells roundabout was built) to the four way junction by the Hunters Bridge and there were workers in the middle of the road with a lorry, of course I didn’t observe much because I was driving. Next time we drove it was gone.
Yes i vaguely remember a roundabout being constructed and being in operation in the center of the road at the junction of Bridge Road East & Broadwater Road in about 1970/71 but it didn’t last very long before being dismantled and reverting back to a traffic lights system again the same as it is today.