A new roundabout planned for a Suffolk seaside resort will be 'too tight' for lorries to turn, a truck driver has warned.
Steve Smith, who works for a Felixstowe-based haulage company, said kerbs could be 'crushed' if the proposed roundabout goes ahead in Candlet Road because larger vehicles would not have the space to go round without hitting it.
Instead, he suggested creating a roundabout similar to an existing structure close to the Orwell Hotel in High Road East in Felixstowe, which has a smaller roundabout and an outer dropped kerb.
READ MORE: New date for Candlet Road in Felixstowe to be decided
He said this set up enabled trailers to travel over the dropped kerb, providing the lorry with the space to navigate the roundabout.
The busy Candlet Road in Felixstowe was supposed to close for an eight week period between May and July to enable the roundabout to be created, sparking fears the works would cause traffic chaos during the summer season.
However, in April the EADT revealed these concerns had resulted in the closure being pushed back to a period from September to November, although exact new dates are yet to be decided.
Mr Smith said: "If you make the concrete roundabout smaller but add that bit of road as block paving to cope with the lorry tyres coming round, that would solve an awful lot of problems, I think."
He also feared there could be safety implications if the roundabout was poorly designed, while there could be an increase in traffic congestion, especially if the nearby Dock Spur Road was closed for any reason.
Developer Bloor Homes, which is building 368 homes as part of the 2,000-home North Felixstowe Garden Neighbourhood, is creating the roundabout.
READ MORE: Felixstowe news
A spokesperson for Bloor Homes said: “The Candlet Road roundabout formed part of the outline planning permission obligations for our new development, this has been designed and technically approved by both Suffolk County Council’s Highways department and Highways England in line with their design criteria.
"Bloor Homes have now entered into a legal agreement with the council to deliver the roundabout to the approved designs later this year.”
READ MORE: Suffolk news
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