Just had a look back at North Lincolnshire Council's Direct magazine from December 2006 on page 11 the article entitled; Squaring the circle Plans aim to reduce congestion at busy junction The article said; Congestion on Scunthorpe's main traffic blackspot, Berkeley Circle could be eased if a major improvement scheme gets the go-ahead. North Lincolnshire Council had secured agreement from developers Gallagher Estates to invest in improvements at the major junction. The funding would be a condition of approval of plans to build 1,000 houses on an area north of Doncaster Road (A18) between the Berkeley Industrial Estate and the A1077. The development was subject to planning permission. Agreeing to provide funds for traffic improvements is now standard practice and part of the planning process when major developments, such as this one, are proposed. The article goes on to quote Geoff Popple, head of highways and transport, "The agreement on funding for Berkeley Circle is subject to planning permission, but, if approved, it will improve a major traffic blackspot at no cost to the taxpayer. When a scheme as large as this one is proposed, developers must agree to provide funds to address any traffic issues as part of the planning process. He goes on to say, "The council is now working with expert consultants on a plan for improving the traffic in the area. Traffic assessments are just one part of the planning process that the council's Planning Committee will take into account. No matter what scheme is designed, this part of Scunthorpe will always be busy at peak times. But we want to make sure traffic flows better than it does now, even with the potential for extra homes in the area. The article then says, The council will now consult local people and organizations on its preferred solution to the traffic congestion caused by the junction. It aims to help traffic flow more freely  and cope with the extra cars from the proposed new homes. Its favoured proposal is to remove the five-spur roundabout. This would be replaced in 2008 by a crossroads, with the Kingsway junction moved further along Doncaster Road. The new junction would be controlled by traffic lights, see below. The proposed re-design of Berkeley Circle.

This proposal had come out of lengthy consideration of various options, one of which included a flyover. This was rejected on the ground of cost and environmental impact. It's interesting to note that it was proposed to divert Kingsway through the nearby Kingsway Gardens, dissecting it in half. Given that North Lincolnshire Council have invested in the gardens and proudly boast that Kingsway Gardens have been award the Green Flag for three years running surely this proposal is no longer an option. Whenever the subject of the Berkeley Circle raises its head in the local paper it always attracts a lot of comments. Some people suggest that nothing needs to be changed as it's only busy for maybe half an hour, twice a day, but with the prospect of over 1000 house being built does something need to be done now? As the article said the circle would be replace in 2008 by a crossroads. That was two years ago, we still have a circle and we still have the same congestion.