The temporary signs have finally gone, the barriers shepherding pedestrians in the right direction are no more and the Middleborough roadworks are finished.

Motorists and pedestrians have faced agony since July when work started.

Colchester Council hoped it would take 16 weeks but the fuel crisis put the work back slightly as materials could not be delivered.

Workers finally turned on the traffic lights and took down temporary signs yesterday and at just after 3pm the new system was put to the test.

Reporter JULIA GREGORY and photographer STEVE BRADING tried Middleborough by car, foot and bus.

By car

Like other motorists we were confused about the direction of traffic flow as we tackled the new road system in Middleborough for the first time.

Editorial assistant Karena Richardson took to the wheel as we timed our journey around the Middleborough roundabout in both directions in the mid-afternoon.

Leaving the Nunn's Road car park we joined a queue with ten cars ahead of us waiting to get out onto St Peter's Street. Nothing unusual there, according to Karena.

But just three minutes later we found ourselves behind four other vehicles, one of them a motorway cleaning machine.

The lights turned green, but just long enough for two cars and the cleaning vehicle to get through.

But when they changed again we crossed over into Middleborough South and out on to the Middleborough roundabout with no problems.

We drove past the Royal London car park easily but met a queue just past it and this was where the confusion started.

Motorists coming in from North Station Road seemed unsure of where to turn or whether to carry on up to North Hill, but were directed by the mini roundabout down Middleborough North (by Trotters) rather than joining what is now the bus lane straight ahead.

And this is the route we took, joining the queues past Royal London again, back onto the Middleborough roundabout. The whole journey took about ten minutes but next time we will feel less confused, now we know the route to take.

By foot

This has to be the easiest option now that the temporary pedestrian crossings and temporary traffic lights have been removed at the junctions with St Peter's Street and North Hill.

Clearly marked zebra crossings near North Station Road make it easy for pedestrians to get to their destination, especially if the traffic is already queuing and cars are not having to stop especially to let walkers cross.

However, on one trip I made on the zebra crossings from North Middleborough across to North Station Road and from one side of North Station Road to the other, I stopped the same female motorist in a white car on each crossing.

This could be annoying for motorists, but offers no hold-ups for the pedestrian.

You can get to your destinations as fast as your legs can carry you.

By bus

The bus lanes seem to have trimmed minutes off journey times - at least on the two trips I took between 3.45pm and 4.30pm.

I caught the 65A from Dillons at North Station Road to Osborne Street. There were heavy queues, as is only to be expected at this time of day and we crawled along until we reached the bridge over the River Colne.

As soon as we reached the bus lane at Middleborough there was no stopping us and we even went straight through green lights at the St Peter's Street junction and on up North Hill until we were stopped by a red light, just four minutes after I'd paid my fare.

This was just a fraction of the time the journey normally takes, the driver told me and we were at the bus station behind Queen Street to pick up passengers and another driver at 3.54pm.

I hopped off the bus at Osborne Street at 4pm.

My return journey at 4.20pm, this time on a number 2A from St John's Street, just outside Wilkinsons, started slowly as we were caught in late afternoon traffic on Head Street.

And half-way down North Hill, just by the Sixth Form College we joined a queue waiting for the traffic light at the bottom of the hill.

Two minutes later we were away and while cars turned left to go round the Middleborough roundabout and past the Royal London car park before joining up with North Station Road we could just sail through. I finished the journey opposite Causton Road, just ten minutes after leaving the town centre.

Again the driver thought the journey was quicker - and I can't argue with that.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.