Traffic light scheme will 'cut off' homes
ANGRY residents are demanding an 11th-hour rethink on plans to put traffic lights on a busy junction outside a hospital.
Work is due to start next month on installing lights outside Haywood Hospital in Burslem.
But homeowners living near the junction at Haywood Road and High Lane branded the scheme as "ludicrous".
And they have accused health and council bosses of failing to consult them fully over the plans.
A meeting has now been called for next week to give residents a chance to air their concerns.
Jean Ryder, who has lived in High Lane with her husband, Don, for three years, supports the hospital's work, but opposes the traffic scheme.
She said: "It's going to result in long lines of traffic along Haywood Road and outside our homes on High Lane, which will mean an increase in noise and exhaust fumes.
"Four houses, including ours, will be marooned in the middle of the traffic lights and it will be very difficult to get in and out of driveways because there will be constant traffic from all directions."
Work is expected to take around six months to complete and includes:
A signal junction at High Lane/Haywood Road with new pedestrian crossing
Widening of Haywood Road to create two lanes of traffic turning left and right into High Lane
Removal of the existing pedestrian crossing on High Lane
New road signs and road markings
Removal of existing bus stops on High Lane and the relocation of new bus stops along the road
When Stoke-on-Trent City Council approved redevelopment of the £35 million hospital eight years ago, a condition was inserted that upgrading work be completed to the adjacent road network.
But residents say they were not made aware of Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust's (PCT's) traffic lights proposal and, if they had, would have objected sooner.
Jean's husband, Don, aged 78, a former self-employed coal merchant, added the first residents knew of it was when a man was spotted measuring the road at 6.30am on a Sunday a few months ago.
He said: "Only then did it all come out about what they were planning on doing. We've been told planning permission has been granted and it's a done deal, but without our views having been taken into account whatsoever."
City council head of highways Pete Price said the authority gave approval to the PCT's proposal for traffic lights, because it demonstrated such a junction would accommodate traffic growth.
He added: "Council officers are to attend a meeting organised by the hospital to enable residents to discuss the proposed junction alterations. If an alternative solution that accommodates the traffic effectively and safely were to be found, we would consider such changes."
The meeting takes place at the hospital at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
2 Comments
by ian norris, tunstall
Friday, March 19 2010, 12:10AM
“Eric: I raise concerns with Local Councillors over not consulting over wider issues
sent 2nd Sept 09
The cabinet are to discuss the traffic light and junction improvements on westport road and federation road as part of the north-west link road scheme
Local residents are being consulted on this issue, all well and good. But what of the wider issues ie road closures which roads in Burslem will be closed, the report hints at Public Realm improvements but is not precise, the last report I read was of predistrainising Market just Place, but this report draws a circle around Market Place and Waterloo Woad, and states that the north west link road will be used by traffic travelling to Tunstall so seems to suggest Waterloo Road being closed too.
If this is the case are residents being consulted on the Waterloo Road closure and traffic diversions, or just being consulted on the junction improvements and pedestrian crossing?
What are the proposals for the Public realm and will a Traffic Impact assessment be made available to Cabinet members in order to assist them in making a decision?”
by eric, Burslem
Thursday, March 18 2010, 1:39PM
“This doesn't suprise me. We have recently been consulted about installing traffic lights and junction improvements at Federation Road and Westport Road by John Baskeyfield School.
The information given by the council stated that the improvements were for the safety of children and parents using the school. I don't know of anyone who objected because lets face it who would when you are looking at child safety. It wasn't until after the consultation that we found out that this is part of a larger scheme to divert all traffic around Burslem town centre, down Westport Road and along Federation Road. If all the relevant infomation was given prior to the consultation I don't think they would have received the support for the scheme that they did. I wonder if the school was given all the information before asking to comment. I doubt it.
This is an example of another token piece of public consultation by the council that has been done in a way that they get the result they want and all involved should be ashamed as I think that children are going to be far less safe due to the very high levels of traffic that will now use the road.”