The one-way closure of a key artery on the Isle of Wight has caused or heightened concern over issues such as dangerous driving by a school, potholes, congestion and business costs.
Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Garratt spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) about problems arising from private utility company Southern Water’s major works on Horsebridge Hill.
The thoroughfare’s three-month one-way system will be in place until 18:00 on Friday, 17th April and a long diversion route is currently operating along Forest Road, Whitehouse Road, Rolls Hill and Pallance Road.
Southern Water’s upgrades are being carried out as part of a £5m pipe replacement project which the utility company said will reduce emergency works and water supply interruptions as well as help to cut leakage.
Cllr Garratt’s concerns over the one-way closure come after feedback from residents and his own experience using the route daily for work appointments.
One ongoing issue is vehicles failing to stop at the zebra crossing outside Hunnyhill Primary School and ignoring the school crossing patrol officer which Cllr Garratt said had likely been “made worse” by the diversion due to significantly higher traffic flows.
“That is very worrying – cars should be paying a lot of attention going through there, there are young children crossing that route, they rely on the patrol officer…he does the job very well,” the Parkhurst and Hunnyhill representative said.
The problem has been raised with Southern Water, the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads, Cllr Garratt said.
Cllr Garratt said it seems one of the warning signs may not be working properly and has asked for this to be checked.
He said: “Would it not be better to have a traffic light crossing there? A pelican crossing so that there is a very clear indicator that people should stop – red lights, people hopefully do stop at.”
Another worry is extra diversion traffic increasing the risk of potholes.
Cllr Garratt said he had noticed “longitudinal cracks” opening up on Whitehouse Road:
“It has always been prone to that – the subsoil gives way, the top surface then cracks and you get these lengthy cracks which have to be infilled.
“Anybody’s who’s ever hit a pothole knows it can do quite significant damage to suspension, could blow a tyre… if a car blew its tyre on the route it’s going to have to stop and it’s going to add to congestion.”
The councillor said Island Roads had confirmed to him the district steward is driving the route daily to monitor conditions and the FixMyStreet website helps him find out what problems have been reported.
Cases which seem more urgent, Cllr Garratt said he raises directly with Island Roads.
Other causes of disquiet include junction blocking and traffic flow issues causing congestion and frustration, a risk of the diversion route becoming impassable due to flooding or another incident, and local businesses being hit by disruption costs.
Cllr Garratt has responded by asking the highways team if adjustments can be made to traffic-signal phasing to improve flow.
He has discussed the risk of the diversion becoming passable with other councillors, Southern Water and council officers, with scrutiny of the Traffic Management Plan and risk assessment.
As to what can be done to support firms burdened by works, he said they may be able to submit claims for loss of income, under Acts of Parliament.
Pressed on whether Southern Water should provide compensation, Cllr Garratt answered the corporation should if a claim can be evidenced.
He said:
“It would encourage utility companies to think about how quickly they do works, how many crews they can get onto site, to focus their minds – the disruption is more than just to traffic flows…there is this disruption to people’s livelihoods.”
This is a joke!! Why the hell could Southern Water not have done their works when this road was shut to pull services, YES SERVICES, Water is a bloody service, to the new housing estate??????
This is costing all of us, if not in fuel and car maintenance, at least in time. AND TIME COSTS MONEY!!!!! Next time a councillor says ” island economy is down” ask Island Roads.
Maybe the art of communication between the service companies and Island Roads, should be monsterously improved, or all of you go back to school to relearn how to.
Another councillor looking at the chaos on our roads over the last few years.
When is the local election?
Install cameras and any vehicle failing to stop
at crossings receive heavy fines and points on
their licence.
It is so easy if measures are put in place.
Two issues from this article. The chicane at Hunnyhill school is a menace, and always has been. It forces drivers to concentrate on negotiating the traffic islands instead of looking ahead to the crossing. Second, I drove past the ‘sister’ works at Quarr yesterday. Nobody on site. Enough said.
God forbid they work at nights and weekends . Oh no, we’re only working 9 to 5 weekdays, the hours which cause the most inconvenience to the public.
Too easy just too use traffic lights.
All well and good monitoring the highway daily and relying on fixmystreet reports but it must be clear to all involved that after just a short time into the 3 month diversion the highway is just not robust enough to take the amount and weight of traffic. Mud on roads caused by vehicles being pushed into verges, road subsidence, cracking and potholes. All created and worsened by the increased traffic. Repairs to the road are not lasting, just one example the potholes at the roundabout at bottom of Pallance Rd. has been repaired at least 3 times to my knowledge and is just getting worse and bigger as time goes on.
The whole diversion is used by more than just cars. Horses, bicycles and motorbikes are more vulnerable users and trying to avoid the mud, cracks, potholes and oncoming traffic is becoming unsafe.
It must also be clear that accidents are occuring on this diversion ( and others around the island). Crashes at Vittlefields Cross and horsebox skidding of road at Whitehouse for example also giving evidence to the unsafe nature of this diversion.
Finally when this diversion is over the route will need repairing which probably means more road closures and us, as taxpayers, picking up the finance bill.
Hoping our elected officials keep up the pressure to make this route safer for all.
Nearly every single person looking at this knows it’s an absolute nightmare so who approved it? because you would have to be a special kind of stupid to only have one road into a town which is prone to accidents at the very junction you intend to use.