Rallying call to save Royal British Legion clubs
- Today's leader
Safety plea to A49 drivers
Saturday 11th April 2009, 6:00PM BST.
Impatient motorists are jumping red lights and causing huge snarl-ups during major roadworks on Shropshire’s A49.
Highways bosses today pleaded with frustrated drivers stuck in queues not to ignore the signals, claiming they were making the congestion worse.
Commuters said at peak times there were lengthy queues in both directions along the A49 around Dorrington, near Shrewsbury.
They claimed they could be waiting for up to 45 minutes.
But the Highways Agency today urged people to be patient and to bear with it as resurfacing work continued.
And they said that it was hoped the work would even be completed early as it was ahead of schedule before breaking for Easter.
Work on the four-month scheme at Dorrington, which has included drainage work and resurfacing, began in February and is being carried out in three stages.
The work will resume next week and was scheduled to be completed by May 20, but the Highways Agency said it was hoped it would now finish about eight days early.
But a spokeswoman for the Highways Agency today said: “On occasions, further congestion has been caused by drivers not observing the red traffic signal, when perhaps they feel it’s been red for an excessive period of time.
“During these times, our workforce are moving heavy plant within the work site, and drivers ignoring a red signal have then caused even greater delays.
“We ask that you bear with us in this and thank motorists and local residents for the patience shown during this essential maintenance.”
She said the long delays tended to happen when convoy running was used to guide vehicles safely past the workforce.
The spokeswoman said until the completion of the work there would only be a further five days when convoy running would be required to carry out the resurfacing work – on April 17, 23, 24 and 27 and May 1.
Mobile signs will be used along the A49 to warn drivers of delays when convoy work is being used and to enable them to use a different route.
She added: “Work on the A49 at Dorrington will re-sume after the Easter break on Tuesday, and is currently scheduled to be completed early – by May 12.”
By John Kirk
Sponsored Links
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
At least these lights are for the future good and safety of drivers on the A49. Re-surfacing usually means a grippier surface, and improved road markings.
My wife & I went shopping in Shrewsbury yesterday, and had to negotiate the island where the A5 and London Road merge. You know the one, where the traffic lights have recently been fitted to the roundabout.
It was a nightmare.
Previously, one would approach the island, slow down, look to your right, and proceed if clear. Now there are queues on every approach, waiting whilst the lights let through no more than 4 vehicles at a time. Not once did we see a pedestrian trying to cross any of the junctions.
Report abuse
England has enough roads for these drivers to find another route to where they are going.
Report abuse
This kind of work should be done late at night and no breaks for the holidays. Get the job done, lazy government workers..!
Performing this kind of work during the day is ludicrous, 45 minute waits are outrageous.
Martyn
Report abuse
It seems to me, driving regularly around the county every day, that traffic lights are often uneccessarily installed at the slightest excuse where minor road works are concerned – and we – the motoring public – who PAY for all this – are expected to sit and wait in many cases behind a red light when often it can be CLEARLY SEEN – there is NO need to stop, and there is CLEARLY nothing to wait for.
So ..
Is it any surprise that people are beginning to ignore these (in many cases) uneccessary signals?
Start treating the motoring public with some respect and common sense – and we might get somewhere.
Report abuse
excuse me martyn – have you ever worked in the public sector or do you just take everything the daily mail says literally, please i urge you to come do a shift a rhs where our staff have varicose veins from being on their feet all day for 14 hour shifts, you would struggle i think
Report abuse
Askeric,
the problem, once again, is that old chestnut, Health and safety. Traffic lights etc are positioned anywhere if the traffic is within so many yards of a possible work man which you wouldn’t have seen many years ago.
I have to laugh when at the Lawley road works the workers were much further away from the traffic than a pedestrian on the footpath might have been but we have to limit ourselves to 30 MPH for the workers while pedestrians, who would have been much closer, would have traffic going past them at 60MPH before the road works started.
Report abuse
only the conservatives will spend more on road building, and we will cut taxes because we are the best, the most efficient and we will cut out excessive beurocracy, we will get rid of speed humps and parking fees and traffic lights, the motorists have been hammered under the EU / labour communist administration and we must cut taxes especially for drivers as a priority
Report abuse
Brian(2)
Yes- Im afraid I’m only too aware of the REAL reason why we are all treated as idiots by temporary signals.
But REALLY – when you get THREE way traffic lights to guide traffic round ONE single hole measuring less than 4ft by 2ft at the entrance of a T junction… which HASN’t been worked on for over a week, then that in my bookis REALLY treating the motoring fraternity with contempt.
And that’s what I believe is at the root of all this, and many other issues of today…
It’s the silent majority who have now HAD ENOUGH.
Report abuse