HUNDREDS of concerned residents have signed a petition to improve safety measures at a “nightmare” traffic light section following the death of a motorcyclist.
The traffic light junction between Longfleet Road, Fernside Road and Ringwood Road in Poole has been described as “a dangerous accident hotspot” by a resident who says he has tried to get help from BCP Council, only to be ignored.
Following a fatal crash outside the Shah of Persia pub in December last year, Constitution Hill Road resident Rob Foster says he was motivated to force highway authorities into action.
The painter and decorator told the Echo that simple changes, such as adjusting the filtering of traffic lights to give drivers more time, could prevent further accidents.
He said: “I use this road many times a day and have done for 30 years. Two directions have a filter light and the other two don’t, so people trying to turn right have no signal and are stuck in the middle of the road.
“The lights don’t give people the opportunity to go before the opposite lights change again, they’re far too quick. So cars are stranded in the middle with other cars coming towards them. I see it every single day, cars ploughing towards these stranded cars. A few people have commented that it’s just dangerous drivers at risk, but that’s not always the case.
“As any resident who lives near here will tell you, these accidents are a regular occurrence. It’s a danger to motorists and pedestrians, including children, every day.”
Rob, 43, said he instructs his young children to not cross certain parts of road in the morning on their way to school. He added: “My youngest is six and after the young lad died in December, seeing the flowers outside, it’s just heart-breaking. How many more people need to be killed or injured before something is done?”
Less than two days after its launch, Rob’s petition has amassed more than 490 signatures – just shy of the 500 target. The father says he will present the petition to BCP Council.
One woman who signed Rob’s petition said: “I see so many near misses at these lights. It is actually quite scary being the other side of the lights not having any idea what is happening and if it is safe to go.”
Carly Mcallister, who works in the Shah of Persia, said: “I don’t like the road, you do hear a lot of beeping and commotion. I don’t drive but my colleagues do, and I don’t think they like it either. The bit outside our entrance is quite dangerous. As a pub we don’t know what to do after an accident other than offer people coffee and a place to sit.
“It’s just not a great road, it doesn’t happen all the time but my friend who drives told me when the lights change it doesn’t give you a lot of time to go, they go too quickly, so it can be a real pain of a road.”
Julian Mclaughlin, director of transport and engineering at BCP Council, said: “We examine all sites where safety concerns have been raised by members of the public. Our process then involves comparing the number of accidents at each site to ensure that we prioritise the available money, spending it on where it is likely to be most effective in reducing casualties.
“The busy junction of the A35/Longfleet Road (known as the Shah of Persia junction) in Poole has seen a number of signal and crossing improvements in 2016. The improvements we’ve made at this site has reduced the number of road traffic collisions involving injury from 15 to 12.
“However, this is still too many and we will be exploring further options for improvement as part of the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme.”
Click HERE to visit Rob's petition.
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