A review of a notoriously nasty junction, which was at the centre of a major incident in 2019, has concluded that traffic lights are not the answer but instead a hedge will be moved.
In April 2019, a 3-vehicle crash on Forest Road, Newport took the life of 64-year-old Yvonne Copland and injured many others. A major incident was declared as a result of the crash, which occurred when a car failed to give way on Whitehouse Road. The vehicle hit a bus which tried to avoid the impact by swerving onto the other side of the road, causing a head-on collision with another car.
The driver of the car at fault, Yaashmi Ravikumar, 20, was sentenced to serve 2 years and 4 months’ detention in a young offenders’ institution after it was found her driving and lack of attention caused the fatal incident.
In the aftermath of the crash, a petition was launched which gained nearly 7,000 signatures calling for the Isle of Wight Council to install traffic lights on the crossroads, in a bid to improve safety and prevent further collisions.
Accident data from the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads show there is a ‘high probability’ of a crash occurring at that junction at least once every year, and it is ‘likely’ that between 25 and 50% of those accidents could kill or seriously injure someone.
In the last 5 years, 7 recorded collisions have happened at the junction — 1 fatal and 3 serious — with 6 of those collisions involving vehicles exiting Whitehouse Road on to Forest Road.
Forest Road, the main strategic route from Newport to the West Wight, is thought to be used by approximately 10,000 vehicles a day and its junction with Whitehouse Road is currently in the top 10 potential safety schemes on the Island’s Highways Safety and Improvement Register.
A report going to the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet next week, which has reviewed the petition and outlines potential improvement to the junction following a full technical assessment, said any improvement to road safety will ‘positively impact’ the council’s objective of protecting the Island community.
The recommendation of the report, however, goes against what was asked for in the petition — the installation of traffic signals — and instead opts for a scheme to be fully designed and costed for realigning a hedge which would improve the visibility of the junction when entering Forest Road, from Whitehouse Road.
It is also recommended to specifically add the site into the Island-wide strategic speed review currently underway, potentially reducing the speed of Forest Road at this location.
The report says:
“The highways safety inspector has determined that installation of traffic signals may not reduce the risk of conflict at the junction and could increase the number of collisions due to rear-end shunts.
“The request for a signalised junction has been discounted due to the likely increase in the number of collisions, the rural nature of the junction and other factors present in this location.”
The council report says there is a ‘public perception risk’ of not acting on the intent of the petition due to the risks associated with the requested traffic lights scheme but the recommendation is based on technical advice and standard methodologies.
It is though the installation of signals at this junction could cost between £400,000 and £600,000, not including ongoing maintenance costs.
In defence of not recommending the installation of traffic lights, the report also looks at the safety scheme devised for the Fighting Cocks junction in Arreton, which had a higher collision rate than the Forest Road and Whitehouse Road junction.
While ‘not directly comparable’, the collision rate at the Arreton junction was brought down to a 10-year accident average of 0.2 accidents occurring per year, from 3.2, without installing traffic lights.
However, in a technical investigation report by Island Roads, the highways network authority’s final recommendations are to undertake feasibility designs for both a signal-controlled junction, which would ‘greatly reduce’ the risk of collision, and a roundabout at the junction to lower accidents by 50% and ‘significantly’ lessen the probability of future fatal or serious injury-causing accidents.
The decision as to whether to follow the recommendation, and realign the view-obstructing hedge, will be made by the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet next Thursday (14th January 2021).
To read the full reports by the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads, you can view both, through the agenda for the meeting at www.iow.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=194&x=1.
The brow of the hill on the Yarmouth side is more of a problem than the hedge.
Traffic lights, reduced speed limits, junction alterations will not improve people’s driving. Stricter tests, and ongoing training needed to improve driving standards.
The signage on all three roads are virtually none existent or buryes in hedges I think it could do with big signs and junctions at both Whitehouse lane and Betty haunt Lane should be stop junctions and not give way. and moving the hedge won’t do much as the road raises between the junctions and vittlefields is this hair brain idea proposed so the council don’t have to spend any money
Of course traffic lights ARE the answer – but they cost money, so saving a few quid is WAY more important than saving a few lives. Nice one IOWC
Put a roundabout there, a blob of paint and few yards of hedge scrapped out, half a days work, and then ALL traffic has to slow.
Half a days work the speed island roads works at try 6 months by the time they have thought about what to do then had a tea break
Unfortunately, a roundabout could increase the problem. Whitehouse Road traffic would, correctly, assume they can come straight out without looking right meanwhile traffic from Newport would assume they have a clear road!
A largish roundabout with a centre section made high to not be able to be driven over would prevent stop any ‘correct’ assumptions of ‘right of way’ as the roundabout would not then ‘give’ right of way just because it is a main road, but give as all roundabouts do, priority to those on the right.
Many main roads have roundabouts and people don’t then ‘assume’ just because they are on the main route, ‘right of way’.
Have you not driven through Brading? Even Southern Vectis think they dont have to give way to traffic from their right. Nearly killed me. The driver got sacked I think.
Why would they assume they can come straight out without looking right? At a roundabout you must give way to traffic coming from your right.
Even if you mean left, the highway code is very clear that before entering a roundabout you should check it is safe to do so – that means looking everywhere.
As a motorcyclist I am extremely careful at this junction. Been pulled out on a few times.
Visibility is the key factor at that junction and improving it here is just the most sensible thing I’ve heard in ages. Traffic lights are not the solution here or to everything. Some people want to light up every junction, have 20mph everywhere and speed bumps every 10 yards. Let’s hope sense prevails.
Don’t get me wrong I’m all for safety but you have to lean forwards at that junction to get a better view and when the fence panel on the Betty side was leant over it was a real bad. The signs could do with being improved to make it clear to tourists that there is a main road crossing that junction too.
Lets hope that they don’t mess up the whole area like st marys roundabout.
All very sensible but several people have pointed out that the hill to the west, hiding approaching traffic from Shalfleet, is a problem too. One which cannot be moved or realigned!
Improving visibility and signage will help. Any increase is better than the current minimum (or zero).
I hate speed limits but I think there is a case for a 40mph limit here, more so than some of the 30 limits elsewhere on the island. Shide springs to mind! 😉
And how about an island (bollards to you) to stop drivers who have been following slow-coaches from Yarmouth from overtaking when they think, incorrectly, that there is a clear road?
I’m pretty sure from memory that the dip isn’t as bad as people are saying. I used to use that road several times a day whilst working up there for 18 months and you can see the top of the cars at all times. At no point do vehicles go out of view, even really low sports cars.
The tarmac does go out of view but thats about it.
Not sure about the bollards, shouldn’t overtake on a junction anyway.
£400,000 to £600,000 for traffic lights seems excessive. If that is the way things are priced I hate to think what even a simple hedge realignment is going to cost!
Its not half a mil for traffic lights. The traffic lights are probably £25,000 a set to buy, so 4 way junction would need £100,000 worth.
The rest is running cabling, digging trenches, wages for the people doing it, line painting, and likely a wedge for some incompetent council muppet to moan about it and tell them to do it all again because theres a birds nest in the way.
As I recall, last years accident was caused by an inexperienced driver relying on GPS and assuming she had right of way without looking.
Put rumble strips on the approach to the junction, move the hedge, clear the signs and make sure they are visible, then maintain it.
absolutely no need for traffic lights. definitely a need to prevent people pulling out.