Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
Cheadle and Gatley Liberal Democrats
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Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
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High Grove Road safety proposals released
by Lib Dem team on 24 August, 2018
Following consultation with local residents, the Lib Dem team can announce that the council has now developed proposals for slowing traffic on High Grove Road with a series of chicanes.
The project, which would cost around £30,000 in total, will now go to local residents for a detailed consultation.
Cllr Iain Roberts said “We consulted residents on High Grove Road, Milton and Chadvil about all the different options. Chicanes was the only option that got majority support, so we asked council officers to work up a scheme. This is what they have come back with, and we’re keen to hear what people think.”
Whilst I agree that cars traveling on High Grove DO need to be slowed down, there are already Chincanes on High Grove in the form of Park Cars and yet I still witness many motorists speeding, what is needed is Police Enforcement and before you respond with 5he Old Chesnut of lack of Police funds, I would like to point out that this enforcement would pay for extra Police through the fines levied on The offenders.
Police Enforcement is a No Cost Efficient Solution.
Save the £30,000 construction cost and avoid the disruption that also goes with the construction, Use the Police which already pay for to enforce the Law
Funnily enough having seen the proposals I was going to say similar. In fact the car chicanes are more than these 2.
In turn they (chicanes) will have a massive impact on the access to and parking for residents and guests of the houses between the Kingsway school and Milton when you add in the additional impact of the trees and driveways
Unfortunately stating the blindingly obvious will have no effect. They will either ignore or pay short shrift to any sensible suggestions. No doubt the LD councillors have already made up their minds. Another sticking plaster to pander to locals, and once again no strategy to address Cheadle’s and transport issue. I now regret voting for them.
Stop people using this road as a rat run by improving the A34 right turn rather than making yet another route more difficult to navigate and moving the problem on elsewhere.
We don’t have a problem with traffic volume, though. It’s speed that’s the issue. So we need measures to specifically tackle speed, rather than redirecting traffic.
We live very close to one of the proposed chicanes – and we are definitely in support of them. We welcome any moves to assist with slowing speeding drivers on our road.
The reason High Grove is so appealing to speeders is that it’s long, straight and wide, so any measures addressing that are common sense.
Parked cars are not permanent structures, so whenever there’s a clear stretch, we regularly see large lorries racing past our house. This would be made more difficult by chicanes. All houses have large driveways, (so parking is not generally a problem for residents).
With a school AND nursery here, it feels only a matter of time before there’s a nasty accident, unless something is done :/
I too am opposed to the chicanes. All they will do it make people put their foot down even more to squeeze through before the cars coming the other way or make them have to stop and then rapidly accelerate as soon as they get the chance and electronic signs will do nothing to slow down the majority of people.
Stop wasting money!
Their is a School and nursery entrance on the road. It is NOT safe that it is a cut through at all as it will always cause these problems whatever you do unless you block the end of the road that meets Broadway or somewhere in the middle where Milton Crescent joins (this will impact me just like everybody else but is necessary)
It is only a matter of time before somebody is seriously hurt. There are a number of repeat offenders who drive past my house most evenings in excess of 50mph and nothing short of this will slow these sorts of people down!
As a High Grove Road resident, I view these plans purely as window dressing, the overriding issues are not being addressed. These are not political issues (but used as such) merely common sense, excessive amounts of traffic on roads not built for it, junctions that don’t work. road works that never finish and in the case of the A34, when it is completed all that effort funnels into the traffic lights at Gatley. Happy Days!
Is it intended that these chicanes are placed onto the existing crumbling road surface, thus making the road even more unattractive? The chicane’s on Silverdale Road are a mess.
It has long been accepted that High Grove Road is a rat run, but nothing has been done to stop the flow of traffic using it. Will chicanes make any difference, I think not. Other methods such as proper policing, electronic speed signs which flash your speed will be more effective. Any system which has cars slowing/stopping and then speeding up is going to cause more pollution. also having a chicane placed outside your house will cause problems when trying to get out of your drive onto the road. So no, chicanes are not an acceptable solution!
Just papering over cracks!
It is usual to carryout a traffic survey at busy times to help understand the problem. Can you publish these results, which presume will include times when the road is busy from traffic from school events. The last thing wanted, is solve one problem but create another
We’re aware of some half-hearted survey action by the council (at non-peak times!) but nothing else.
However, the issue is speed, not volume of traffic. We don’t really notice problems with heavy traffic relating to the school or nursery on the road – it’s more commuters passing through (rat-run style). Usually speeding, sometimes also while on their phones… :/
As a High Grove Road Resident I oppose the idea of chicanes, basically this is merely window dressing and does not go anywhere near addressing the problems associated with this road.
An acknowledged rat run for many years, as instanced by its crumbling road surface (are these chicanes going to be dumped onto this surface?) High Grove Road has seen no support or investment except the most superficial. Volume of traffic is definitely a problem, (if it wasn’t we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion) with the most dangerous area being its exit onto Gatley Road.
The problem with speed bumps and chicanes is that they involve traffic slowing down or stopping and then speeding up again, this will cause both additional air and noise pollution. Anybody travelling along Silverdale Road will note that the chicanes there are both unsightly and a mess and also difficult to negotiate when cars are parked almost on top of them! In the case of High Grove Road electronic signage showing speed warnings would be more appropriate, at least in the first instance.
There will be more pressure on this road in the future when the A34 works are finally completed, but what happens when all that “free flowing” traffic reaches Gatley lights. Anybody seen it recently or tried to get onto it from Cheadle Royal? Surrounding roads will be used to avoid the bottleneck, and unfortunately this will only get worse. In this sense chicanes can only be seen as papering over cracks!
I should also mention, as evidenced by this thread, that residents at different ends of the road probably have different feelings (and notice different problems).
I do sympathise with those at the Gatley Road end, who get the brunt of the bottleneck queues – whereas at the other end it’s more the speed issue.
I live on Highgrove Rd and I am totally against the idea of Chicanes, all this will do is cause more congestion outside peoples houses, whilst also causing difficultly in exiting our drives as there will be more standing traffic during busier times.
It also reduces on street parking for many of our houses.
You also haven’t considered the impact of the amount of traffic that park on the road normally or for events at the school, it is bad enough with all the cars parked for these events without adding all the chicanes as well.
Are the council also considering the impact to the value of our properties in the cost of this exercise, as I think this will de-value our properties significantly.
Chicanes will just be a waste of money, other measures such as speed cameras and policing should be used.
As a resident of High Grove Road totally agree with other residents that there are enough parked cars throughout the day and evening that provide chicanes. Chicanes devalue property, increase congestion and pollution. Could a large bollard with a crossing place in the middle of the road be put at the wide end of High Grove Road to allow safe crossing for pedestrians walking down Broadway , make the flow of traffic one way or access only from the narrow end?
I don’t understand the opposition to chicanes – they’re basically just a wider bit of pavement, aren’t they?
Relying on parked cars isn’t ideal… and it’d only take away a very small number of on-street parking spaces (we’ve all got big driveways anyway).
However, I agree with Sally – a bollarded separator of some kind would be preferable to chicanes. Or a similar midway structure next to the Milton Crescent junction. Anything that discourages the current speeding down the centre of the road, really!
But in the absence of anything else, chicanes would be a start… :/
Police presence is not an option; I went to a business meeting last week when we were told that the police had 5000 999 calls in a week. The Tories have slashed police numbers in the name of austerity (which has achieved nothing but misery) so the numbers of police are simply not there any more. What would be cost effective are speed cams, but it seems the council would sooner pay £30k dead money, which may or may not work. As a High Grove resident I welcome any initiative but again, consultations fall short of the more obvious common sense options.
I also live very close to one of the chicanes – the lower one and I am most certainly not in favour of them – even though I DO think something needs to be done. To be clear I would still not be in favour if it were not right outside my house….
Thank you all for the comments. The reason we asked the council to work up proposals for chicanes is that, when we surveyed local residents, it was the only option that had majority support. If this plan doesn’t have majority support then it won’t go ahead, but the alternative is likely to be leaving things as they are.
We will look at alternatives to see if people’s views have changed, but that’s where we are at the moment.
I think electronic speed signs should be the first thing to try, such as the one at the top of School’s Hill. I thought they made a noticeable difference when we had them on a temporary basis a few years ago.
I agree with the majority of comments about chicanes not being the solution. Also the people who will have the chicanes outside their houses will have difficultly entering and exiting their driveways and also cause problems for visitors. I think mobile speed cameras would be a better option even if only used on on occasional basis.
This is just bonkers! I agree with all the comments against the chicanes. At the Gatley Road end there is nearly always a people carrier parked on the double yellow lines, which causes chaos. Last week the was a very large mini bus also parked there, along with the people carrier, in rush hour, and no-one could get in or out of High Grove Road. There is simply no enforcement whatsoever.
I also agree with the speed sign – which is so very desperately needed on Broadway. This is the speed road, and a death trap waiting to happen. I witnessed and accident here, where the police and an ambulance were called. The incident was curiously not present in police records!
In the hope of providing something helpful, I make the following observations:
1. I live on Broadway Avenue which is round the corner from High Grove Road. I’m not directly affected except that I do use High Grove Road when going to, or coming back from, my office in Altrincham. I also use it at other times.
2. There is a split within the High Grove Road residents, with some in favour of the chicanes and others against the same. In the absence of a clear majority in favour of the chicanes, it would be wrong to implement the proposals.
Following on from 2 above, I would say that I’m against the proposals for the undermentioned reasons, aside from the absence of a clear majority:
• Environmentally, any form of traffic calming measures causes damage to the atmosphere because of the constant slowing down and speeding up. The environment is (in my view) the single most important issue facing the world and most governments and political parties appear to recognise this more and more.
• How many accidents have actually occurred on High Grove Road in the last 10 years? If the answer is none, or only a couple, then speed is not an issue.
• It has been identified above that so many cars are parked on High Grove Road they are the equivalent of chicanes. Add to this the appalling state of the road surface, then speed is already being curtailed.
• Again, the replies clearly indicate that chicanes are not the answer because there’s no integrated public transport system to help reduce traffic volumes. Until other measures are taken over the very long term, all that will happen is that the public will find alternative routes to use and the problem is then shifted from A to B and it becomes a vicious circle.
• Actual chicanes cause their own issues. I would ask you to visit the one (and it’s only one) on Longley Lane and directly opposite the Longley Lane Carpets’ warehouse. I frequently come home from work down that road. A visit will demonstrate to you that it creates problems.
There are many occasions when it becomes necessary to be brave and actually do nothing and I am of the view that this is one. That will not please everyone, especially those High Grove Road residents that are in favour of the chicanes.
There is no perfect solution and, in such circumstances, doing nothing is the best option. The money saved can be used on other equally vital projects.
I agree with Michael about the Longley Lane chicane. But then, I’m generally against chicanes – anything which deliberately puts cars into the path of oncoming traffic cannot really be regarded as safe.
I live directly opposite one of the proposed chicanes and am completely in favour.
Like a number of other residents I have young children. Like almost all residents I have a driveway. I consider the safety of children living on the street and attending the school and nursery to be far more important than the convenience of the occasional visitor who has to park a few metres away, or the incrimental effect on a house price.
For those of you who do not know a schoolgirl was hit by a car using the street as a cut through earlier this year.
I have spoken with the councillors directly about the options and was told that a number of residents opposed speedbumps (which I am also in favour of) because they might damage their car. I am sure this isn’t a problem if you drive slowly. However I would urge those now also moaning about the chicanes to consider the children that use our street for their journey to school before making further objections and think about what is really most important.
Finally I would like to thank the unpaid councillors for all of the work that they do on our behalf. It is difficult to please everybody and I recognise that you have worked hard researching the options.
chicanes are a total waste of time. Drivers speed up between them. I was travelling towards one,at the 20 speed limit on st annes road last week and an oncoming car put his foot down as I went to go through to race me to it!!! when I would have had plenty of time had he been travelling at 20 too. They cause alot of congestion at busy times,especially at the finney lane junction. Its a real shame that speed camera’s can’t be put in 20 mh zones with an automatic fine of £100 sent to cars registered address when limit broken. this will make them slow down or change route
As a High Grove resident who was at the scene I object to the comment that the road being a cut through was the reason for the schoolgirl’s accident. The unfortunate incident happened as the girl became distracted by a dog over the road and stepped out without looking. The main issue as I see it is the use of the road as a speed track at night. Simple ‘sleeping policemen’ will slow them down & are far less costly & inconvenient than chicanes. The only real deterrent though is money – a speed triggered camera sending fines to the car owners. I don’t know any neighbour in favour of chicanes.
We’ve surveyed residents more than once and always found more people in favour of chicanes that sleeping policemen/road humps. But if, when residents look at the plans, you decide against it, then it won’t happen.
Because speed cameras are expensive and hand out fines, there are strict rules on where they can go. That’s the main reason you never see a speed camera on a residential road.
I understand the comments made by Jennifer and which appear the next but one after mine. Nonetheless, I do not accept that we are moaning. We are all making valid observations.
I believe that the additional comments made by others (for example Les and DS) simply bear testament to the fact that chicanes are not the solution. I’ve not been persuaded that doing anything is the way forward.
I therefore commend to the Local Authority and Local Councillors that doing nothing is the answer and for the reasons I gave above.