Yet another accident on Rodford Way, Yate
Around 9 pm this evening (Sunday 23 May) there was another accident on Rodford Way involving a car and a pedestrian.
It was on the westbound carriageway just at the start of the junction with Chargrove.
An ambulance and half a dozen police cars attended, and the ambulance crew were working at the accident site to stabilise the casualty. Police closed off both carriageways.
The accident took place only a short distance from the site of the fatal road accident in November 2008, since when local people and councillors have been campaigning for improved crossing facilities on Rodford Way.
Yet another accident on Rodford way in view of the underpass. I wonder why people are so reluctant to walk a few extra steps to use this? I have heard people dont use it because of anti social kids.. but having lived near to, and used the underpass for the last 10 years I can say that I have never witnessed any problems there and neither have any members of my family who also use the underpass rather than crossing the main road. Sure, kids do hang around there but they never cause problems for people walking through. If there is an identified problem with anti social behaviour in the underpass then this should be communicated to the police who should do regular checks of the area.
ReplyDeleteThere are also several safer places to cross where proper crossing places have been put along the road, I suspect these are for schools, but can and should be used by all members of the public.
I wish every one involved in last nights accident a speedy recovery and hope we dont have any further accidents of this nature in the future.
Please please use the underpass or safe crossing areas in future
I've never had any trouble with the underpasses either. I am interested to know how the accident occured, as you can see for miles down the road from where it took place. I'm sure you'd have to step out without looking to be hit by a car.
ReplyDeleteI hope this doesn't result in more modifications to the road. It's bad enough already with its millions of confusing markings.
The road markings on Rodford Way are a complete joke. In my opinion they are especially dangerous if you are a cyclist. This road was built as a dual carriageway and should remain so. The safest place for cyclists is as close to the nearside curb as possible and not out in the centre of the road! Attempts to narrow it at various points using painted lines or islands create further hazards especially in certain weather conditions (such as low sun setting in the west) where it is more difficult to pick out the markings. It’s the same on Westerleigh Road near Eggshill Lane where badly thought out traffic islands push oncoming traffic closer together – how can it possibly be safer when the traffic scheme makes vehicles pass so close to each other? I’ve personally seen several vehicles hit the curb which makes up the island. Luckily, so far, it has resulted in nothing more than a few punctures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before a pedestrian (stood at the edge of such an island) is struck?? I read somewhere that an American study concluded that pedestrians take far greater risks when they perceive that traffic is moving more slowly in single file. In simple terms people become blasé when no danger appears present. In my opinion people don’t use the subways because they perceive no danger in trying to cross the road instead. If the road was still a dual lane affair then they might think differently. Our local authority seems to be living in some kind of fool’s paradise – they think that if they keep slowing traffic down then there will be fewer and fewer accidents – this is not necessarily correct because people become more and more insulated from the real skills which are needed for driving. Slowing people down will only give a short term fix. Low and behold this is what has occurred in South Gloucestershire. Despite the introduction of some rather silly speed limits (like the 40mph limit between Coalpit Heath and Yate) accidents are on the rise again. The bottom line is that people need to be trained in hazard perception – this applies to ALL road users whether on bikes, in cars or on foot. Slowing traffic down and creating the illusion of safe refuges does the reverse of what is actually needed.
ReplyDeleteSteve.
Underpass or no underpass, cross the road safely using the green cross code and this wouldn't happen. If there is a vehicle coming, regardless of its speed let it go past before crossing. I have just seen three boys about 6 years old running across shireway between cars. This is the problem not speeding.
ReplyDeleteJust to say that I've rejected several comments about this item because they make allegations about the pedestrian involved in the accident.
ReplyDeleteIf true, these allegations are significant. If the writer knows this from first hand, they should talk to the police.
Yes the road markings are confusing, yes it was a stupid idea to change the original layout of the road from a dual to a single carriage way. But, the reason why people do not like to use the under pass is partly to do with the youths hanging around them at night. Fair enough it doesn't happen every night but, the main point is that if you feel threatened by them at any time you are not likely to even want to attempt to use them again. There needs to be some sort of crossing system put into place, not just white paint and concrete islands. I have lived in Chargrove for years now and I have had many altercations with stupid pedestrians crossing infront of traffic moving at 40 MPH. One group of kids even stopped in the middle of the road causing EVERYONE to slam on their brakes. Honestly, I believe that some people are morons. Why would anyone dream of doing that??
ReplyDeleteOh my! I just hope no one was seriously hurt from the accident.
ReplyDelete