CONCERNED residents are campaigning for urgent action to tackle speeding traffic on a village road at Glazebrook, Warrington, before someone is killed.
Frustration is mounting for residents on Glazebrook Road, who have been told by highway officers that nothing can be done as none of the incidents have been serious enough to warrant action.
Tony Whittingham and his wife Janet have lived in our current house on Glazebrook Lane for 38 years and witnessed an increasing number of accidents caused by speeding vehicles.
Tony said: “Whilst there has been a steady increase in traffic volume, as everywhere, we have found that this has been matched by a disproportionate rise in a blatant disregard for the speed limit, along with aggressive and abusive drivers, resulting in eight crashes/incidents outside our house in the last 10 years requiring police attendance.
“These are not small incidents, so far we have had one lamp post, one street sign, two telephone poles, and our 120-year hedge totally destroyed.
A damaged garden wall
“We have often been met with abuse and aggression from the drivers and their passengers, even when we turn out to help! The above figure doesn’t include the out-of-control vehicles that go flying past but don’t actually hit anything!”
Tony added: “As a consequence of increased frustration at these events, we have canvassed every house on Glazebrook Lane and gained some consolation, rather sadly, that we are not alone in enduring this misery by far.
“We were shocked to discover that there are many residents with similar stories, in fact, pretty well everyone we spoke to had a tale to tell, including cars through the hedge, cars in gardens, parked cars written off, even whilst parked on their own driveway, reports of cars sliding up the road on their roof, walls knocked down etc, etc.
“I decided to conduct a survey of all residents and already 50 % of residents have responded, preliminary results show that there is deep dissatisfaction that nothing is already in place, a general feeling that it will take a serious injury or death before the situation is taken seriously and that every resident that we spoke to does not feel safe on any pavement anywhere in Glazebrook as a result of the speed and proximity of cars and wagons.
“Again there is a deep dissatisfaction and resentment that Glazebrook Lane has a ban on wagons over 7.5 tonnes, which is again blatantly disregarded with heavy goods vehicles routinely travelling through the village well above the speed limit.
“There is a general sentiment that because Glazebrook is a small village right on the borough boundary, it is disregarded by local government as insignificant, along with its residents.
“On a personal level, I have requested a list of all reported incidents and requests for traffic calming measures for the last 10 years under a freedom of information request from WBC, and made a similar request to Cheshire Constabulary for incidents they have responded to in the same period.
“We have letters from WBC officials sent to local residents when requests and complaints have been made, suggesting that they will only respond when there have been actual casualties. I was horrified that a local government official, who I imagined should be working to help and protect the residents throughout their district, is suggesting that we should wait until someone has been maimed or killed before they will take our pleas seriously.
“As far as Cheshire Constabulary is concerned, I understand that their motto is ‘Be Safe, Feel Safe’, I can categorically tell you that there is not one resident in Glazebrook who feels safe on the pavements or trying to pull out of their drives.”
A damaged hedge and telephone pole
Local Cllr. Rob Tynan said: “For years now, there has been a total disregard for the speed limit along Glazebrook Lane and also the disregard from wagons not observing the 7.5 ton limit.
“How there has not yet been a serious injury or a fatality is remarkable.
“Something has to be done before it’s too late.
“I’m currently in discussion with officers to see if a solution can be found.”
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of residents’ concerns relating to Glazebrook Lane. We take road safety very seriously and apply a data-led approach to ensure that our limited resources are targeted where they can have the greatest impact. We have to prioritise interventions at locations with the highest numbers of the most serious collisions.
“Historic casualty data for Glazebrook Lane shows a pattern of slight injury collisions which do not meet the threshold required to prioritise works above other sites with a higher concentration of serious or fatal injuries. As a result, the location is not currently identified as a priority for safety-funded engineering measures.
“Our primary evidence base is collision data supplied by the Police, which records personal injury road traffic incidents only. Damage-only collisions are not routinely recorded or shared by the Police and are therefore not captured within the official dataset used to justify safety improvements. While we recognise residents’ concerns, current resources are fully committed to addressing locations where the most severe injuries occur, meaning damage-only sites cannot be included in our immediate programmes at this time.
“Once the petition is submitted, including any information residents have collated on damage-only incidents, we will review the concerns raised along the length of Glazebrook Lane. This will help inform whether any proportionate and achievable interventions could be considered in the future.
“In relation to speeding, enforcement is a matter of criminal law and sits with the Police. We do not have powers to enforce speed limits and are therefore restricted in what action we can take directly.”
Another crash scene
A skidding vehicle
Another damaged vehicle
