Village fears that new homes will lead to chaos on the roads (From Worcester News)
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Village fears that new homes will lead to chaos on the roads
10:15am Monday 10th September 2012 in News By Catherine Phillips, Reporter
PLANS for 350 new homes in a village near Worcester have prompted fears that an already busy road could become even more dangerous.
Michael Mitchell, of Fernhill Heath, said he had witnessed a number of safety issues with Station Road from his home, which is near the junction with Droitwich Road.
He said cars parked along Station Road had caused it to be reduced to the size of a single carriageway, which he says makes some motorists drive in an aggressive manner as they attempt to get past as quickly as possible.
Drivers had also been seen entering the road from the A38 at speed to avoid oncoming traffic while other motorists had been forced to drive on the path to allow cars to pass. He said: “Drivers end up having a face-off and it is a case of who is brave enough to drive up and go for it.
“When that involves a bus or an articulated lorry then it all gets a bit fraught.”
Mr Mitchell said a solution needed to be found to the issues, which he suggested could include widening the road or creating a one-way system through the village. Mr Mitchell has lived in the village for 24 years and said the problem had been getting gradually worse over time.
He fears that proposals set out in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) to build more homes on land between Dilmore Lane and Station Road would exacerbate the problem.
“With further development in Fernhill Heath I can only see the situation worsening but I don’t see what the answer is”. said Mr Mitchell.
Tony Miller, Worcestershire county councillor for Lovett and North Claines, said he had been contacted by residents about the problem and spoken to the village’s community support. “Station Road does have a problem and we have got to make sure people are sticking to the Highway Code,” he said.
“I have been monitoring the road and junction at the top of Station Road and once we have identified the problem we can work on a solution.”
Coun Miller said that people concerned about the SWDP should make their views known through the website swdevelopmentplan.org.
Comments(5)
Maggie Would
says...
11:42am Mon 10 Sep 12
I have never seen people speeding up in this section of road. Double yellow lines on both sides of the road would cure any problems.
gmoore1207
says...
11:51am Mon 10 Sep 12
Maggie Would wrote:this makes sense they will no do that
The problem with Station Road is that when you turn into it from the A38, the number of parked cars is such that you have no idea what is coming, as there is a slight bend in the road. So, you have to take a chance that the road ahead is clear, and that's the case approx 6 times out of 10.
I have never seen people speeding up in this section of road. Double yellow lines on both sides of the road would cure any problems.
More Tea Vicar
says...
12:19pm Mon 10 Sep 12
More and more countryside disappearing under housing which is there basically to cater for people moving into the county from elsewhere in the UK and beyond.
This really is a major crime against the environment, totally unjustified, and with no democratic mandate.
The only development should be on brownfield sites. Birmingham is full of those.
There really should be an enquiry into the whole SWDP, with local government officers, councillors and MPs called to account for their failings.
The Tories failed and fail to mention the SWDP in their literature, manifesto and website. In effect, they were elected on a lie, and should be treated as such.
But where are our so-called Greens in all this? Shouldn't they be opposing the sprawl?
keeneye
says...
1:52pm Mon 10 Sep 12
warriors says...
11:24am Mon 10 Sep 12