Kids 'jumping into verge' to avoid 60mph cars on unlit road dubbed 'accident waiting to happen'

More pedestrians are now also using the road after the completion of a 52-home development.

The number of pedestrians using the road could be increased further as a development of nine homes is currently being considered on the Haven Boarding Kennels site, also on Lightmoor Road.

However, residents fear that there could be an incident if a footpath or safety measures are not put in place to protect pedestrians.

Chris Pearson, Telford &Wrekin Council’s road safety and traffic engineering team leader, was quizzed by residents and councillors at the Dawley Hamlets Parish Council meeting last week.

He said that they are looking into further safety measures on Lightmoor Road and he had met with councillors to discuss the problem.

Dawley Hamlets Parish Council chairman Bob Wennington asked if there could be an additional footpath on Lightmoor Road.

Mr Pearson replied: “There is simply not enough room for a footpath and to maintain two lanes of traffic. The carriageway takes up pretty much all the highway land.”

When questioned about additional street lighting, Mr Pearson said that was ‘unlikely’.

Councillor Wennington said the road was ‘too dangerous to walk up and down’.

He added that there had recently been a fatal accident on the bypass and questioned how people from the proposed development would access Little Dawley.

“The problems on Lightmoor Road should have been sorted out before 52 houses were built which are all housing association,” added Councillor Wennington.

“It’s harder to get something done after the event, when it is already a problem.”

Local resident Barry Parnaby said that ‘for years’ people had been worried about their safety while walking on Lightmoor Road.

“I’m extremely concerned for the safety of pedestrians on that road,” said Mr Parnaby. “A lot of people on that development are in housing association properties and a lot of families have to walk up the hill to the Nisa shop (in Little Dawley).

“It’s extremely hazardous, somebody is going to get killed.”

Mr Parnaby added that residents had ‘fought’ for a temporary 30 miles per hour speed limit on the road.

He said that cars travel down the road at 60 miles per hour resulting in children ‘jumping into the grass verge’.

Another local resident, Greg Corbett, said that the road was an ‘accident waiting to happen’.

Mr Corbett said that nearest secondary school for children is Madeley Academy and children aged between 11 and 18 walked along the road and then through the adjacent woods or along the grass verge.

“We can’t continue the way it is without there being an incident,” added Mr Corbett. “It will be by luck more than judgement.”

He added that if another 700 more homes are built in the area as part of the revised Local Development Plan then traffic in Horsehay would be ‘out of control’.

Responding to the comment that there is ‘no room’ for a footpath on Lightmoor Road, Mr Corbett added: “It doesn’t take much creative thinking. Even if the footpath deviates away from the road.”

Fellow resident Linda Brett said that the problem is increased by traffic queuing up to turn from Lightmoor Road onto the bypass.

She said that Lightmoor Road is a ‘tiny, dark and bendy’ road with no lighting, which was used by cyclists and pedestrians.

Mrs Brett added that the wooded path that some pedestrians use ‘needed tidying up’ and made more accessible.

Councillor Kate Barnes raised an issue of children crossing the bypass at the bottom of Lightmoor Road.

She asked if an underpass was ‘out of the question’.

Mr Pearson said that an underpass would cost £1million to build and suggested that they could link up to the existing underpass.

He added that the situation was being looked at and urged people to email any comments to [email protected] or use the My Telford mobile phone application.