Councillor to battle over ‘danger’ road
Wednesday 4th February 2009, 2:32PM GMT.
A Shropshire councillor was today due to take up the fight for improved safety at a “dangerous” crossroads – armed with dozens of comments made on social networking site Facebook.
Councillor Jon Tandy, Labour parliamentary candidate for Shrewsbury, is to print off more than 30 comments made on a group site on Facebook demanding a revised layout of the Harlescott crossroads.
He has urged people to make their feelings known on the site as he hands the comments into Shirehall chiefs later today when he will discuss possible changes to make the road safer.
The group set up at the weekend by Claire Bennett, of Corndon Crescent, Sundorne, now has 335 members. A petition to force the county council to take action will be drawn up within days.
Councillor Tandy will be accompanied by Mrs Bennett, who started the group following the death of 14-year-old Ben Somers who was knocked off his bike in a collision in Whitchurch Road on October 24.
A message on the Facebook site left by a cousin of the teenager said: “The boy that was killed on the crossroads was my cousin and we want something done about this road before another family has to go through what we did.”
Shropshire County Council officials confirmed they were meeting with Councillor Tandy and Mrs Bennett.
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There’s nothing dangerous about the junction, it’s just the imbeciles that ignore the markings and signals.
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I really do think that the exit from the Lidl car park should also be made LEFT TURN ONLY, before another life is lost.
It is no problem to travel the short distance to the small island over the level crossing and make a ‘U’ Turn and then approach the Traffic Lights in the correct lane,this then would be to the added safety of everyone, Motorists and Padestrians alike.
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This is known as The Harlescott Starting Gantry for most of the town racers!!!!! Craig do you use this stretch frequently? You may be sensible but there are alot of drivers that are inconsiderate and talking amongst colleagues at work, friends and family another life will be met there.
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and for those of us who can’t access facebook at work, thanks for the report, even though I have no idea what road you are actually talking about *sigh*
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The county council have already said they are going to change the junction with control camaras and longer feeder lanes so were is the story ???? The Cllr sould save paper and not print off why not just forward the comments and he is the first to accuse our MP of jumping on a band wagon well if this is not a band wagon what is is one.
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Seems to me like a prospective parliamentary candidate jumping on any popular bandwagon he can find to win a few votes. There is nothing wrong with this junction, I’ve seen them all over the country. No road design could have accounted for the idiotic and irresponsible driving that caused the horrific death of the poor young boy. Changing the road layout won’t stop this type of driver. We see them every day, tailgating, speeding, driving under the influence of heaven knows what.
I’ve seen it this afternoon, men in their 30′s, 40′s & 50′s driving through a 20 mile an hour zone outside an infants school like it’s a racetrack.
It’s the drivers not the roads – now let Mr Tandy tackle that problem.
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I remember encountering this crossroads for the first time last year with some concern, having remembered what it used to be like. I found it straightforward and safe enough. Unfortunately I was cut up one day by a stupid driver who was in the wrong lane purposely so they could overtake – that IS dangerous. The exit from Lidl could be better I agree.
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that small island is a bad enough road hazard without encouraging more ppl to do a U turn on it. I want to know why the park and ride bus entrance on that road is not a through route to the other side of Tesco’s. That would relive some congestion that is likely to only get worse once the DIY season hits the new B&Q garden centre and then you can make the lidls exit left turn only with a right turn to an area of land that you can (and they do) turn a bus round in!!
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its definately not been thought through by the planners, individually each development is not enough to be turned down as a traffic problem but can they not think strategically, the cumulative impact of B&Q, Tesco, the live stock market, the new petrol station, the waste centre, Sundorne Retail Park and new housing on Battlefield has made this road gridlocked and pretty soon we will see accident rates and air pollution levels get out of hand here.
People need to see the big picture and the cumulative effect of individual plans
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Jumping on the back of the story of a grieving family to get ahead in local government is pretty disgusting to be fair. I do think that there is no need for two lanes in place after you have travelled over the crossroads towards Shrewsbury. The only people who use the outer lane are those who want to race and overtake slower cars. However, there needs to be far better enforcement to kerb boy racing…. But the police force in this county is very much underfunded.
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Where the road goes from Battlefield to Whitchurch Road should only be one lane (FACT). I go through this junction every night and without fail if you just sit in the left hand lane waiting to move forward there are cars coming up the outside and then braking sharply to pull in when they get to the bollard on Whitchurch Road, approximately 4 car lengths after the lights. It is dangerous and serves no purpose whatsoever other than stroking the egos of young lads who can use it to burn off other cars. Who ever planned it this way needs to see it in action at 5.30-6.00pm every night and then explain why it is needed.
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Well done, Councillor Tandy.
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Personally do not thing there is anything wrong with it.
It was unfortunate the poor lad was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
If the driver wasnt being an idiot there wouldnt have been a death.
The only problem with it is the shop exit and people getting into wrong lanes!
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In answer to comment #3,the answer is yes,I use the roads many times a day,my understanding is the tragic death people refer to was not at the crossroads,which is backed up by the location of the flowers.All should be guarded about comments made as the matter is still sub judice and needs to be subject to scrutiny in the courts if any charges are in abeyance.
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as my wife said why don’t have cameras like they have in the USA this would stop the racers and amber gamblers
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well said peter, its all about the cumulative impact as you say,
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well said peter, i totally agree with your comments and now could someone tell me why all the industry & commerce is being placed in the north of town when the A5 bypass went south.
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absolutely henry planning policy and development control are the route cause of the towns traffic problems
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yeah if the town must grow it must be in a southerly direction
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My office is in Harlescott Lane and I have been using the junction for more years than I care to mention! the one thing I have witnessed on a few occasions is cars driving across from Harlescott Lane to Fetherbed Lane when the lights are still on red becasue they see cars moving off on the left hand filter light and assume its ok to go! the little island after the railway crossing is horrible! its far too busy for miniture island :-(
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typcial socialist, leftie loony, he is on the bandwagon moaning about nothing which no one cares about, its his governments fault that they have not invested enough in roads for years, keeping taxes high and being a lap dog to the US and the EU, shame on the socialists who are ruining our county with their backwards and evil beleifs, remember LABOUR ISNT WORKING – brown doesnt even drive coz of his eye – so what would labour know about driving!!!!!!!!!!!
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this junctions too busy now, we need to do something to reduce traffic on this stretch, maybe a fly over or dual carriageway round the back – im joking!!!! obviosuly we need to go greener and drive less guys come on
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