The National Works Agency (NWA) has announced traffic changes for Mandeville, Manchester, following confirmation of a sharp increase in the number of vehicles on the streets in recent years.

The NWA outlined the plan to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting in early September, while noting that Mandeville town has seen a 20 per cent increase in the volume of traffic in the past 10 years.

According to NWA, a study done of traffic in Mandeville has shown that the major traffic problem results from the absence of east-to-west roads going through the town.

At present, all roads in the town run north to south, and the NWA believes that too much traffic is concentrated in the town's Park Circle, a small triangular area located between the Cecil Charlton Park and the entrance to Mandeville Market.

Proposals are for traffic lights to be placed at the Villa Road to Main Street intersection, with the median at Main Street to be broken to have two-way traffic going across South Race Course road on to Caledonia road.

Park Circle is to be reverted to a crescent and the entire Manchester Road to be made into two-way traffic, with an unbroken sidewalk to enable free pedestrian movements.

The new traffic plan is also proposing that traffic lights be placed at each intersection on Caledonia Road, as studies have shown that the intersections on Caledonia Road are causing a build-up of traffic.

According to the NWA, the lights will be synchronised with a computerised central system and will be programmed according to the traffic pattern at certain times of the day.

No timeline has yet been announced for the changes.

- Additional reporting from Erica Virtue