Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
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Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
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New safety measures between Silverdale Road and St Ann’s Road North
by Lib Dem Team on 21 September, 2017
The cars parked on either side of the chicane on St Ann’s Road North where it meets with Silverdale Road has long been a concern for road safety. At times, it can make traversing the chicane a journey of twenty metres or more against oncoming traffic. On Tuesday 19th September Cheadle & Gatley Lib Dem Councilors raised this issue with council Traffic Officers at one of our regular meetings.
We are pleased to confirm the Traffic Officers will proceed with parking restriction on either side of the chicane to enable safer passage of traffic in both directs.
Within twenty-four hours of that meeting council Traffic Officers were seen measuring up at the site of the chicane to draft plans for the necessary markings. The plan is to provide hatched areas to the north and south of the chicane to prohibit parking but allow vehicles to transit the area.
We still need to await the line marking contract to be completed but the process is now underway.
22 Comments
The trees also need trimming back either side of the chicane to hellp with visibility for traffic especially coming down the hill.
Les – agree with you. Another area that really needs trimming is around the hospice when travelling north from Finney Lane.
Hello Les
I made two visits to the site to trim the trees and bushes on both sides of the chicane and both sides of the road. This was two and three weeks ago!
If you see the lower photograph above, I remove a sizable tree branch so one can now see all the way to the bend at the top of the hill. I also cut back other small branches and the taller growth of greenery.
Not much more can be done without felling trees and even that would have limited benefit. I’m afraid the topography is what it is. Happy to share the before and after photographs.
Removal of the chicane would improve safety
Phil and John P are right in my opinion; they are a safety hazard. I’m a local resident and regularly see the stand-offs there, some quite aggressive, around school-run times and the business park start/finish.
How about removing them and replacing with a modern cobbled surface? It works great in Holland. I think that would achieve reduced speed and at the same time improve traffic flow.
The Chicanes are a total disaster as they cause people to speed up, and during the school run nobody gives way despite the priority signs. Can we have them removed please?
I detest this road and apparently so do a lot of people. I was speaking to someone from Gainsborough ave/road who said motorists use their road as a rat run to avoid the bumps
Why is it there? What is it actually doing?
Well, I’ve no idea why it’s there. I don’t understand its purpose. Safety? Don’t think so. For pedestrians there are better and cheaper options. So, there’s only the safety of drivers to consider….. but it seems to me, the chicane is more of a hazardous obstruction than any kind of safety solution.
It doesn’t surprise me to read that the Council Traffic
Officer’s solution to their original terrific idea….. is to add another traffic restriction for local residents.
Common sense really needs to be considered here.
Remove it.
Can the double yellows near school be extended slightly as the school bus sometimes still has difficulty. I wish it was possible to stop the all day parking there by having a period say between 1.30 and 2.30 when there is no parking
I works really well in the areas where I have seen it
Painting yellow lines will NOT improve safety at this chicane – the only thing that will improve safety @ improve traffic flow – is the complete removal of the chicane. Mr Powell 5,
Silverdale Road
Excellent news! Also excellent is the retention of the chicanes. I live between Silverdale & Cheadle road so must regularly use this stretch of road. I also obey the Law – unlike many A34 skippers who form queues so close to my rear bumper that a safety brake for a dog/child/Racer/Bus/lorry in the opposite direction is more hazardous. Is saving 30 seconds so important? Or is it that Speed Limits are now only advisory and I am out-of-date?
The chicanes are mostly in Heald Green ward, so we would need to liaise with the councillors there. I think they are unlikely to be removed for two reasons: first, it would cost quite a lot of money, and second it would result in more speeding along that road and make it more attractive to use as a rat-run for traffic trying to dodge the A34.
The general feedback we get from residents is there’s already too much speeding and traffic along there, so I don’t think we would want to do anything to make it even worse.
Iain, sorry but i think that post does not reflect the comments above nor the feelings of most local residents here.
It does not as you suggest cost “a lot of money” to remove the chicanes – i am sure that me and a few friends could do it in a morning. If the council asked us then it would be done at no cost to them in a flash.
Nor does removing them have to result in speeding or make it an even-more attractive rat-run than it already is. Other places around the world have solved this problem. It just needs a bit of research by our council.
What is really needed is for us local residents concerns to be actioned. If the problem is the HG councillors then please go bang their heads Iain.
Hi John,
If you have someone who can remove the chicanes and make the road up to standard for no cost, obviously complying with all the rules to ensure it’s done properly, then please point me in their direction.
Likewise, I’m very happy to look at ways to slow down traffic without traffic calming – I’ve just not come across any that work.
I try to follow the rule of not misleading people into thinking I can achieve something I can’t, but if there are ways to do this that I’m not aware of then I’m always keen to learn.
Iain, thank you for your reply. I was a bit annoyed when i wrote that. The reason was probably from my many personal unpleasant experiences at these chicanes. I am sure i am not alone in this among Lakes residents.
An added frustration is – have you driven down Grasmere recently? It’s surface is now like a cart track in places.
The sooner the council properly resurfaces Grasmere the better – the number of times we’ve had it patched is no-one’s business – it needs to be fully resurfaced now.
Re your reply 28/09 > The sooner the council properly resurfaces Grasmere the better – the number of times we’ve had it patched is no-one’s business – it needs to be fully resurfaced now. <
Everyone here on the Lakes agrees, so when will it be done?
Hi John,
We’ll keep on pushing for it to be done as soon as possible as part of the Lib Dem £100m programme.
I have lived on the Lakes Estate for 28 years with and without chicanes and speed bumps on Silverdale/St Anns’ Rd North.
Although not involved with the decision to install them I do remember they were provided in response to public demand for better safety on the roads.
Does anyone remember there was a local public meeting at the time, not to decry them but to ask why Grasmere, Buttermere and Borrowdale Roads could not have them as well!. For many years after they were introduced there continued to be intermittent complaints that these roads were not allowed the same safety measures.
By definition in order to improve safety the Chicanes and speed bumps must be a blasted nuisance in order to slow traffic. But with the best will in the world they are not capable of curing the bad driver syndrome (I do mean bad driver because it is idiots deciding to take risks).
There are right now 20 Chicanes or Speed Bumps between Foxlands and Finney Lane.
And yet in 2017 I have received demands for more to help slow the traffic. We actually paid for an electronic speed checker on Silverdale Road to monitor traffic this year. Does this not suggest they are still needed.
Graham G – I fully agree with your ” By definition in order to improve safety the Chicanes and speed bumps must be a blasted nuisance in order to slow traffic. But with the best will in the world they are not capable of curing the bad driver syndrome (I do mean bad driver because it is idiots deciding to take risks).”
So please will the council please take some measures along Silverdale/St Anns’ Rd North to deal with the bad drivers. E.g. Cameras at the chicanes. Traffic wardens with cameras.
Sorry, but this is an emotive subject for some of us that live here.
I am simply astonished that this can happen so quickly, when we have been banging on about the danger on the corner exit of Broadway Avenue and Broadway for over 15 years without anything whatsoever happening. The accident last year should have been a wake-up call – and accident warned about so many times. We are totally ignored.
Hi Karen,
I’m surprised you say that nothing has happened. In response to your concerns, we had double yellow lines painted around the junction – just as we have with many other problem roads in the area. Those lines have been down for some time now.
I appreciate you want more done, and we’re looking into that, but I hope you’ll acknowledge what’s been done already.