1975 Traffic - The Fiendish Parkfield Road Junction
By Elizabeth Martin

My husband and I moved from Exeter to Taunton in 1975. We had lived previously in a quiet cul-de-sac, with nothing passing our house at all, so it was a bit of a culture shock to wake after our first night in Wellington Road to the full force of traffic outside, some of it going straight past, the rest attempting to turn right to go up Parkfield Road. 

For the drivers trying to make that manoeuvre there were no traffic lights to help them at that time, so when there was a lull in the traffic coming down Compass Hill, it was a quick throttle down and across they went. Phew! Drivers trying to turn right out of Parkfield Road were not quite so lucky, there was no visibility at all, and therefore it was a case of very gingerly creeping towards the junction, trying to see or hear if any traffic was coming down Compass Hill. If they saw the road was clear, or if they thought they had the acceleration to make it across, off they went, but many times there was a screeching of brakes and the sound of horns blowing angrily. 

Inevitably, there were accidents. On hearing the bang, one of us, usually my husband would dial 999 and I would go outside to see if I could be of any help. After we had lived on Wellington Road for a while we began to keep a white coat hanging behind the front door for me to pick up as I went out, so that at least I would be seen as I tried to get the traffic moving. I would send all the “down” traffic (from Compass Hill) into Parkfield Road, to go along Manor Road and thus back on to Wellington Road. 

Most of the accidents happened at that bit of the junction, with only a few on the other side of the road. I don’t think there was a fatality, fortunately, although there was a lot of broken metal, some shaken-up bodies and bent pride. At last we were given a traffic light system that enables the free flow of traffic, yet there are still occasional accidents when someone tries to beat the lights and doesn’t make it. 

My husband and I also remember the difficulty that pedestrians had trying to cross the road, especially the children making their way to Parkfield School. That really was a nightmare. The crossing makes it so much easier now except on the numerous occasions when drivers decide that “no left turn” out of Parkfield Road is meant for everyone else but them! Then heaven help the pedestrians who think the green man means its safe to cross, when a totally unexpected vehicle zooms round the corner and beeps furiously at them!

Elizabeth Martin