Safe Speed Forums

The campaign for genuine road safety
It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 05:48

All times are UTC [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 17:57 
Offline
Friend of Safe Speed
Friend of Safe Speed
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 23:09
Posts: 6735
Location: Stockport, Cheshire
Manchester Evening News

Quote:
A grieving mum whose son was killed crossing the East Lancs Road has called for the speed limit to be slashed from 50mph to 30mph.

Sharon Cash has vowed to fight to ‘save children’s lives’ after the death of Cameron, 14.

She fears youngsters will continue to ‘chance it’ by crossing the A580 until better facilities are installed for pedestrians.

And she said the current 50mph limit on the road should be lowered in the meantime.

A stretch of the road through Swinton and Walkden is used each day by hundreds of pupils from Moorside High, which Cameron attended, and Walkden High.

Sharon, of Ennerdale Avenue, Swinton, is backing calls for a raft of measures, including improving nearby subways, building a new footbridge and installing barriers on the central reservation to discourage people from crossing.

She said: “I want the speed limit lowered to save lives. People are unfortunately chancing it by crossing it all the time. Reducing it will give drivers more time to respond.”

Sharon is also one of hundreds of people to have signed a petition calling for a footbridge to be built outside the new Moorside High site, before it opens next year.

Mother-of-two Gayle Shaw, from Swinton, who started the petition, wants a new bridge to be built in Cameron’s memory and is also campaigning for two subways beside the school to be cleaned and refurbished.

Gayle, whose daughter was good friends with Cameron, said: “A lot of children cross the East Lancs Road in the area and the bridges already there are too far apart. When the new Moorside school opens, the problem is going to be doubled. The subways aren’t fit to be used – they need lighting and draining.”

Derek Antrobus, Salford council’s assistant mayor for strategic planning, said: “We have cut speed limits on the East Lancs in the past and we are looking at further reducing them.

“We have speed cameras in place and we have already taken a decision to bring forward plans to improve the well-used subways at Worsley Road and Moorside High School.

“The public should use the safe crossings already provided.

“We are working with local schools to ensure young people understand how important it is to use these to cross safely.”

Cameron died in hospital after being hit by a car on September 22. More than 1,000 mourners attended his funeral.

n A junior football fund-raising tournament is being held in Cameron’s memory on Saturday at Moorside Park astroturf pitches in Swinton.

All money raised will be donated to either youth organisations or the head injury unit at Salford Royal.

The usual emotive, think-of-the-children appeal :(

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 19:52 
Offline
Gold Member
Gold Member
User avatar

Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 14:26
Posts: 4364
Location: Hampshire/Wiltshire Border
So, why was Cameron not on a bridge or down the subway?

It has been proved time and again that footbridges and subways are just not used and people, children especially, try their luck climbing over barriers. Try making the barriers 3 metres tall so that they can't. An instant fix requiring little expenditure and no legal notices etc.

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 16:52 
Offline
Gold Member
Gold Member

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 23:26
Posts: 9263
Location: Treacletown ( just north of M6 J3),A MILE OR TWO PAST BEDROCK
Me thinks I've heard this before. Locally, on a housing state, a three year old was nearly hit by a car. He'd gotten out of the front room, down the hallway ,out through a non closed front door and into the road via an open garden gate. Mother screamed for road humps. Perhaps Social services might have investigated why it was so easy for kid to get on to the road.
Always driver's fault - never a dozy parent.

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 14:53 
Offline
Member
Member

Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 18:54
Posts: 4036
Location: Cumbria
I used to live there. It was, at one point, the main road between Liverpool an Manchester. We've seen a whole series of reductions in limit along there, (it was 70 not that many years ago), but obviously, the sensible thing to do would be to make this huge, main arterial route between two of our largest cities a 20 limit, just in case anyone decides to walk in front of a car. :roll:


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 17:30 
Offline
Gold Member
Gold Member

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 23:26
Posts: 9263
Location: Treacletown ( just north of M6 J3),A MILE OR TWO PAST BEDROCK
Mole wrote:
I used to live there. It was, at one point, the main road between Liverpool an Manchester. We've seen a whole series of reductions in limit along there, (it was 70 not that many years ago), but obviously, the sensible thing to do would be to make this huge, main arterial route between two of our largest cities a 20 limit, just in case anyone decides to walk in front of a car. :roll:
:scratchchin:
Strange how many pedestrians think that :20: places are places to play dodge the car.

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 20:48 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 02:17
Posts: 7355
Location: Highlands
SO why does the parent no see that it was her son who decided to take the responsibility to chance it across the road and no take the safer methods. Whilst I agree that the drivers at that time needed to be aware of the danger that he posed he still 'took the chance'. The local Council are clearly aware of the issues and have already put facilities in place.
If they are dirty and unpleasant then surely all the school needs to do is liaise with the Council to plead for it to be 'cleaned' and policed to dissuade unpleasant characters.
Perhaps if it was raised back to 70 mph and as already suggest by Malcolm barriers heightened, the perception of danger is far greater and so less would attempt it. By lowering the limit already the 'chance it' mentality is created and to lower it further will encourage it by even grater numbers of people.
A sad case of a youngster lacking good judgement.

I see that it mentions a camera, (not checked out the road yet) might this be in the vicinity of the incident?
Might the drivers attention have been diverted to their legality, than having eyes forward and thinking about the road ahead ?
Perhaps the classic alteration that automated speed cameras have caused, of the visual perception, of protection to one's licence, than one of protection from damage to people or property.

_________________
Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 22:02 
Offline
User

Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2008 19:11
Posts: 172
Location: Southampton
Crossing a road safely is quite simple really. If there are vehicles comming you don't cross and when it is clear you do. If it is a very busy road then use the facilities the authorities have provided for crossing. Although I must admit I often don't bother with pedestrian lights as often you could have crossed the road quite safely several times before they give you a green light.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 17:32 
Offline
User

Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2004 17:37
Posts: 702
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire
We've seen so much of this sort of situation in recent years (grieving relative wanting lower speeds limits, or other measures, after suffering the loss of a loved one) that I'm inclined to feel that their proposed remedial measures should not be given undue weight. The inescapable fact is that their views are naturally affected by strong emotions and usually geared to imposing more stringent restrictions on traffic, and this is often quite unjustified.

In this case we have a main road carrying fairly swiftly moving traffic. In fact I can remember it when it was not subject to a speed limit at all (July 1961) let alone a 70 mph limit. It therefore isn't a place where pedestrians can expect to cross it without taking extreme care.

In this tragic event it appears the youngster was aged 14, and therefore old enough to be capable of crossing a road safely. In my view he was therefore old enough to accept the primary responsibility for his own safety when crossing a road. Having said that, responsible and competent drivers should be ready to play their part in maintaining safety, in the event that a pedestrian makes a mistake.

Presumably this incident will have been properly investigated to ascertain exactly what happened, but if it turns out to be the case that the youngster lost his life through his own error, and no failings can be identified on the part of the driver(s) involved, then I can't see that any new measures are justified, apart from emphasising the need for pedestrians to take great care when crossing roads, especially main roads where the traffic may be travelling fairly quickly.

Best wishes all,
Dave.


Top
 Profile Send private message  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You can post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
[ Time : 0.021s | 13 Queries | GZIP : Off ]