Highway diversions

It's only taken three weeks, but the notice to shut down the turns from Mitton Street into Vale Road and Lion Hill have finally been published correctly; I noted with amusement that the standard "not less than seven days from the date of this Notice" isn't present for the obvious reason this is set for the 20th. The diversions are amusingly long, but that's not what I'm writing about. That would be the other notice; the one that shuts down Mitton Street in its entirety at night.

That is from Worcester Road to Lion Hill and then High Street to Lion Hill/Vale Road; though they state the first the wrong way around and they either miss off that it's Worcester Road to Lion Hill/Vale Road or they're only shutting down the one lane. It's the diversions that got me wondering though.

Shutting down Mitton Street to Lion Hill means that those heading down Gilgal have to turn left to Worcester Road (A4025) and indeed that is the first road on the diversion. Most locals would then head up Hartlebury Road but that's not really a suitable road so it's up the A4025 to the A449 turning towards Kidderminster and then onto the other Worcester Road (A442) up to the Bus Station island and then turn back towards Stourport along the A451.

Now so far so good except if you carry on down the A451 you enter Gilgal which is where you've just come from. Again locals will turn right towards Bewdley on to Worcester Street (B4195) and then turn left down the one-way Lombard Street to reach the A451 at Lion Hill. The diversion notice misses out that penultimate step; it takes you from the B4195 straight to the A451 which means doing a U-turn as the only point the two connect is at the point you entered it.

Now what the official route may be is continuing down the B4195 towards Bewdley and then turning left onto Lickhill Road and driving all the way back past the Lombard Street junction and onwards to Lion Hill.

Why not say that though given that the second diversion starts with "U11500 Lickhill Road" and takes you back up to the B4195 and then back to the A451 at the Gilgal end.

Perhaps the Highways Agency are under the impression that Lombard Street is part of the B4195. Hardly reassuring.