Safe Speed Forums

Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to voice my concern, in the strongest possible terms, over the restructuring of the top of the on-slip of the A12 from the Spring Lane roundabout. The phase-out of the nearside lane at the joining point with the A12 is a source of very likely accidents and, for the life of me, I cannot see what good it serves.
Vehicles travelling up the nearside (often slower-moving trucks) are forced to change lane right, just as drivers of vehicles in the outer lane are looking to the right to check for safe egress from the on-slip onto the A12. This means that, at a crucial safety observation point, drivers in the outer lane are going to have to remove their attention from the road that they are joining to check that vehicles on their left are not attempting to move out into their path as the inner lane phases out. Also, whilst the on-slip becomes the first lane of the A12, the new road-shape suggests that it does not. Signage is in place to show this, but it is positioned very close to the points at which drivers must decide their commital tactic.
The old structure of a two-lane on-slip with the inner lane becoming the first lane of the A12 and the outer lane filtering to the second lane was perfectly safe and efficient. This new layout has all the hallmarks of some bizarre 'traffic calming' measure in line with the current Government fetish to reduce speed in the misguided belief that in so doing it will reduce road casualties. I have a deep suspicion that this new layout will do just the opposite...

Josh Greenwold
Member of the Association of British Drivers and SafeSpeed


The above e-mail has been sent to Essex County Council Highways Dept.

It's absolute bloody insanity - you have to drive it to believe it! Replies to my e-mail will be posted as (if!) they arrive...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Is this the roundabout that takes you out of Colchester towards A12 South towards Chelmsford? Sorry I don't know the name of that roundabout but I travel round Colchester a bit on Pass Plus and what you're describing sounds vaguely familiar! !

The very one! Next time you use it, move to the right-hand lane early so that you have precedence over the phased-out left-hand lane - explain to your Pass-Plus instructor why you are doing this, and the fact that you are trying to remain aware of other vehicles doing the same and you should gain some marks for observation.
Well done for taking Pass Plus, I wish that more young people did so!

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Erm, I think she is the instructor

Well done for observation MP yes I am the instructor And why do I take them to Colchester? Don't they just love all those roundabouts after they've been round some rough tracks and a ford near Maldon. I work 'em hard!!

I'll have the 'young' bit though MG

I do most humbly apologise - that was a really 'blokey' assumption that you were the student...(I have to take some pressure off of myself in explaining that I work in an all-girl's Grammar School, my daughter is a year 8 student at our local school and my wife is reading for a Masters, so all women around me are students. Also Rhiannon is a very ageless name, referring to a Celtic river nymph who appeared as an old woman to a young man and a nubile to an old man..!). I am an old(ish) man (Diw, Diolch Fawr!)
I posted this on Pistonheads that, I feel, sums it up pretty well:-

It's a bloody no-winner! If you know the road layout, you move early to the outside lane, but are then looking for Reps on mobiles merging from the left whilst you should be looking right, or you stay left to the last minute and pray that you have space to merge right into the other stream of Reps on mobiles...KSI's will occur and they will drop the on-slip limit to 40 - you mark my words!

It makes you want to find one of these traffic flow 'designers' and have a sh!t in his handbag!

Thanks for not 'blowing a gasket' at me, Rhiannon - I may well be in touch with you soon as my son is learning to pass his test at the moment...

Iechy-Da!


Rusty old git in a rusty old car!

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Haven't been up there recently but will keep an eye out, thanks for the heads up.

Anyone up for a meet and a chat?

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

Don't worry about it MG. Daughter is also a swot-head; done her degree (at Essex Uni hence I know those roundabouts so well!) now teaches 6th formers and is now embarking on more further education for herself! She does enough studying for all of us



A Celtic river nymph I wish although thanks for explanation. Stevie Nicks wrote the song "Rhiannon" best heard 'live' not from a rather ageing album!!


I'm obviously hitting this junction (no pun intended) at the wrong times, the road is usually fairly clear but can totally understand what you mean.



No probs if you need some advice. Gold RoADAR certificate to hand as well as ADI


Okey dokey!

I have had a reply that leaves me speechless - it is pasted below...

Dear Mr Greenwold



Thank you for your e-mail dated the 12 July 2006.



The A12 is dealt with by the Highways Agency at Bedford, so you will need to express your concerns about the new layout of the slip roads with them.



Many thanks

Andrew Connolly


WTF?

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

WTF indeed.

Duty of care springs to mind. I don't care which authority recommended that layout, but ECC must have rubberstamped it or it would not have happened.

So ECC didn't go so far as to even give you the contact name MG, or forward your e-mail on and copy you in on it. Anyway Where does Bedford come in?


Sorry if I'm wrong here but I thought the police had some input somewhere along the line on road layouts? (There were some changes made to certain junctions around my way and I thought it had some police involvement although there had been some collisions there already. That's bad if you need to wait for something to happen first...)

On Saturday, an A-Class Merc suddenly burst into flames on the Spring Lane off-slip and the occupants had to stop and jump for their lives. The resulting 'swerve-stoppers' behind effectively closed the carriageway and the tail-back began to build. By the time that the Fire Brigade was attending, they had to approach the scene from the on-slip and carry equipment across. The incident occurred at about 11 am and by 1 pm, Stanway, Colchester, Marks Tey, Eight Ash Green and the Maldon Road were gridlocked.

So, a result for 'traffic calming', then...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Was up in Clochester today and noticed on one of the roundabouts there are now poles with boards on set at an angle which blocks the view across the roundabout forceing a stop or at least a good reduction in speed. Why is it that when you need most visibility, road planners seem intent on blocking it ???

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

Because they stupidly believe that "speed kills". Never mind improving visibility - let's create a hazard instead.

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