A GOVERNMENT transport minister has been invited to Weston to see for himself the urgent need for action to improve junction 21.

A GOVERNMENT transport minister has been invited to Weston to see for himself the urgent need for action to improve junction 21.

Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate, Mike Bell, has written to Tom Harris MP to ask him to visit the resort during rush hour to see the queues faced by the town's commuters every day.

Last week the Weston & Somerset Mercury reported that an online petition had been launched on the Prime Minister's website calling for 'additional access to junction 21', which had more than 120 signatures at the time of going to press.

Mr Bell said: "We have been promised long-term plans to improve junction 21 that may come to fruition in 10 years time, when what we need is action today.

"It is high time that the Government listened and acted. Highways Agency officials have largely ignored junction 21, arguing that it is not a strategic traffic problem. That is simply not good enough.

"In the long term, I am strongly of the view that we need a full second motorway junction. A second junction that can cope with traffic into the future and can act as a catalyst for economic regeneration on the former RAF Locking site and elsewhere. If workers, goods and tourists cannot get in or out of Weston easily there will be no economic regeneration.

"However, in the very short term, why can we not restore two lanes to the north bound slipway to improve access? Why can we not have a dedicated filter lane onto the roundabout and onto the M5? Action now is what is needed. We have waited long enough."

A petition to the Prime Minister has already been established by local residents and can be found on the Downing Street website: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/New-M5-Access/