Sea monsters, birds, bumps and rocks win votes in Weymouth roundabout competition

Residents have been casting their votes to choose names for the new Weymouth Relief Road roundabouts.

Over 900 votes were submitted online during the two week voting period, which closed at midnight on Monday 23 August.

Over 70 names were submitted for consideration by local schoolchildren, the relief road construction team and county council staff.

Suggestions were scored by a judging panel against three criteria - relevance, originality and impact, with the top names being put forward to the public vote.

The panel was advised by the relief road project manager on local features and relevant connections. They also conducted online research to assist them in putting together the shortlist.

The winning roundabout names are:

A - Jurassic Roundabout

Being closest to the geological finds which have been unearthed during construction, the judging panel felt that the most relevant entries for Roundabout A were those with a geological reference.

With 590 votes, over half the votes cast for this roundabout, Jurassic was the clear favourite. The name was put forward by several people; local school children, a member of the relief road project team and a county council member of staff.

B - Bincombe Bump Roundabout

Roundabout B is close to a series of Iron Age barrows (burial mounds), known locally as 'bumps'. It is also close to the Southdown Ridge and not far from Bincombe School.

Residents voted Bincombe Bump their favourite name, with 610 votes it was 430 votes ahead of its nearest rival. The name was submitted by children at St Nicholas and St Laurence primary school.

C - Veasta Roundabout

As the only one of the roundabouts with a clear sea view, the judging panel felt the most relevant entries for Roundabout C were those with a nautical theme.

Veasta is a mythical sea monster thought to have been sighted off Weymouth on numerous occasions since 1457. Put forward by a council officer, 313 residents agreed that this would be a good name for the roundabout.

D - Harriers’ Roundabout

Located next to the RSPB's nature reserve at Lodmoor, the judging panel felt that Roundabout D lent itself to a name relating to nature.

Harriers’ was another clear favourite to win, with 646 residents voting for it. A relief road project worker submitted this name after a pair of Marsh Harriers successfully bred near the site earlier this year.

Dorset County Council cabinet member for transport Peter Finney said: “There were some really good names submitted to the competition and we felt that it was important to reflect long-standing local themes in the roundabout names.

“I think we have succeeded in having four roundabouts that represent the unique heritage of Weymouth.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took part in this competition, whether they submitted a name or voted.”

The advance signing and the roundabout name signs will now be ordered and will take around six weeks to be made.

The signs will go up during the last stages of construction work, just before the road is open, to ensure that they don’t get damaged.