ACCIDENTS - 'TRAFFIC CALMING TO BLAME'
Discussion
ACCIDENTS - 'TRAFFIC CALMING TO BLAME'
15:00 - 04 April 2003
They were supposed to make life safer. But traffic calming measures in a village near Bath are being blamed for three accidents in just two weeks.
Police have now met highways officials from Bath and North East Somerset Council to express their concern over the new "build-outs"-- pinch points where the pavement has been extended - on Bathford Hill.
And the council has pledged to make several changes following an angry backlash from residents.
More than 100 villagers have signed a petition calling for the three build-outs to be removed, saying that before the recent spate there had not been an accident there for 15 years.
Police traffic experts began their own investigation into the new measures installed by the council following the first accident.
In the latest incident yesterday morning, a Land Rover collided with the first build-out outside Bathford Post Office.
Police were called to the scene and the female driver was taken to the Royal United Hospital suffering shock and head injuries.
A police spokesman said:
"This follows an accident on March 23 which would appear to be in the same place. Concerns have been raised and the traffic management unit at headquarters is looking into it."
A council spokeswoman yesterday said the scheme was not complete and promised extra warning signs would be installed in the next few weeks.
But villagers say this is not good enough.
Steve Gallagher, manager of the Crown Inn on Bathford Hill, says feeling in the village is very strong.
"Since this build-out has been up there have been three accidents, " he said.
"People are really worried about it. They're just waiting for something bad to happen."
Mr Gallagher has already filled two pages of the petition, which calls for the situation to be reviewed.
He claims the three buildouts have actually led to more speeding through the village high street, as drivers race to get to the priority points before traffic travelling from the opposite direction.
Anna Cowley, who lives near the build-outs and has to cross the road with her two children to get to school, says she is worried about their safety.
She said: "It's outrageous - somebody will die.
"We have never had any accidents before there.
"Some alternative needs to be found."
Barry Wright, who owns a hair salon on Bathford Hill, added: "It's absolutely terrible. People can't see the first one because it's on a bend.
"Personally I'd like to see a JCB take it away.
"We are all just angry about it. I have never seen anything so stupid."
The council will now install a coloured anti-skid surface and more signs on the approach to the build-outs.
The spokeswoman said: "The parish council was well aware of the changes that were going in and did consultations on our behalf.
"We have tried hard to involve local people. It's about driver education and driver behaviour.
"We do what we can to slow people down but it does take people obeying the signs."
15:00 - 04 April 2003
They were supposed to make life safer. But traffic calming measures in a village near Bath are being blamed for three accidents in just two weeks.
Police have now met highways officials from Bath and North East Somerset Council to express their concern over the new "build-outs"-- pinch points where the pavement has been extended - on Bathford Hill.
And the council has pledged to make several changes following an angry backlash from residents.
More than 100 villagers have signed a petition calling for the three build-outs to be removed, saying that before the recent spate there had not been an accident there for 15 years.
Police traffic experts began their own investigation into the new measures installed by the council following the first accident.
In the latest incident yesterday morning, a Land Rover collided with the first build-out outside Bathford Post Office.
Police were called to the scene and the female driver was taken to the Royal United Hospital suffering shock and head injuries.
A police spokesman said:
"This follows an accident on March 23 which would appear to be in the same place. Concerns have been raised and the traffic management unit at headquarters is looking into it."
A council spokeswoman yesterday said the scheme was not complete and promised extra warning signs would be installed in the next few weeks.
But villagers say this is not good enough.
Steve Gallagher, manager of the Crown Inn on Bathford Hill, says feeling in the village is very strong.
"Since this build-out has been up there have been three accidents, " he said.
"People are really worried about it. They're just waiting for something bad to happen."
Mr Gallagher has already filled two pages of the petition, which calls for the situation to be reviewed.
He claims the three buildouts have actually led to more speeding through the village high street, as drivers race to get to the priority points before traffic travelling from the opposite direction.
Anna Cowley, who lives near the build-outs and has to cross the road with her two children to get to school, says she is worried about their safety.
She said: "It's outrageous - somebody will die.
"We have never had any accidents before there.
"Some alternative needs to be found."
Barry Wright, who owns a hair salon on Bathford Hill, added: "It's absolutely terrible. People can't see the first one because it's on a bend.
"Personally I'd like to see a JCB take it away.
"We are all just angry about it. I have never seen anything so stupid."
The council will now install a coloured anti-skid surface and more signs on the approach to the build-outs.
The spokeswoman said: "The parish council was well aware of the changes that were going in and did consultations on our behalf.
"We have tried hard to involve local people. It's about driver education and driver behaviour.
"We do what we can to slow people down but it does take people obeying the signs."
Traffic calming my arse!
I've sent umpteen seething opii to our local elders about these virulent carbuncles of motoring chaos...
It was obvious from day 1, to the most inactive of faded, dephotosynthesized fungal bacteria, that these infernal roadside guides, were, apart from being odious in the extreme, quite the most congestion-inducing, vehicular dangerous, roadrage inducing, stress creating social misexperimentations ever perpetrated on procreating, tax paying man.
But it's not just carriageways that abruptly vanish to make way for some completely inefficient single laned utopian jam causer because of the retarded gooseberry of a few cycling councilor fascist ne'er do wells in the totally corrupt planning department that drives me to distraction: it's the council vandalisation of perfectly wide non-urban routes that previously allowed excellent progress to be made with enormously safe margins for overtaking to occur but which are falling at an alarming rate to the 'Mein Kampf' dogma of these drooling veggies that makes me just wanna BLOW THEIR FRICKIN' HEEDS OFF!!!
If I hear or read the words 'socially inclusive' one more friggin' time from these imbeciles with regards to the rights of one tandem riding lesbian frog spwan analyst over those of tens of thousands of people in cars that effectively impinges on my ability to get from A-B with as much efficiency as should be inalienably ours by overfinanced right, then I shall draw a pentacle in the middle of the council chamber, light some blackened candles, invoke the boy Luce and take grim delight in the sacrficial butchering of these worthless monkeys.
There, that's better.
I've sent umpteen seething opii to our local elders about these virulent carbuncles of motoring chaos...
It was obvious from day 1, to the most inactive of faded, dephotosynthesized fungal bacteria, that these infernal roadside guides, were, apart from being odious in the extreme, quite the most congestion-inducing, vehicular dangerous, roadrage inducing, stress creating social misexperimentations ever perpetrated on procreating, tax paying man.
But it's not just carriageways that abruptly vanish to make way for some completely inefficient single laned utopian jam causer because of the retarded gooseberry of a few cycling councilor fascist ne'er do wells in the totally corrupt planning department that drives me to distraction: it's the council vandalisation of perfectly wide non-urban routes that previously allowed excellent progress to be made with enormously safe margins for overtaking to occur but which are falling at an alarming rate to the 'Mein Kampf' dogma of these drooling veggies that makes me just wanna BLOW THEIR FRICKIN' HEEDS OFF!!!
If I hear or read the words 'socially inclusive' one more friggin' time from these imbeciles with regards to the rights of one tandem riding lesbian frog spwan analyst over those of tens of thousands of people in cars that effectively impinges on my ability to get from A-B with as much efficiency as should be inalienably ours by overfinanced right, then I shall draw a pentacle in the middle of the council chamber, light some blackened candles, invoke the boy Luce and take grim delight in the sacrficial butchering of these worthless monkeys.
There, that's better.
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