SPEEDING vehicles and bad parking in Newbold village have sparked a campaign for new traffic calming measures.
Residents and Borough Councillors are calling on Warwickshire County Council (WCC) to take action along a stretch of Newbold Road.
Newbold Road resident Margaret Blundell said she was becoming increasingly concerned.
She said: “I recently witnessed a car parked outside my neighbour’s house damaged so badly by a hit-and-run speeding driver that it needed a pick-up truck to remove it.
“Another problem is inconsiderate parking on pavements and grass verges. There are times when I cannot turn safely out of my driveway onto the road.
“I don’t want to witness another accident before something is done about this.”
Newbold and Brownsover councillors Kieren Brown and Jim Ellis say the situation cannot be allowed to continue.
Coun Brown said: “We have had accidents and close calls on this stretch of road again and again.
“The existing flashing speed lights do not work as a control – evidenced a few weeks ago when a van sped through the village and took out a lamp post near Avon Valley School.”
He added residents had raised concerns about parking in places like Yates Avenue and near Avon Valley School.
“These problems go hand-in-glove together and a holistic approach is needed.
“Any steps, such as traffic calming, humps or new signs would improve the situation.
“I call on both the Police and Warwickshire County Council to take decisive action because people’s safety cannot be compromised.”
The two councillors have circulated a petition in the area calling for action.
Responding to Coun Brown, a spokesperson for WCC’s Road Safety Group said there were many locations with a ‘considerably worse’ collision history than Newbold Road, where four injury-causing collisions have happened in the last five years.
They said: “We would not consider further safety engineering measures at this location.
“The priority for WCC Safety Engineers is to implement safety schemes at locations where a history of treatable collisions has been identified. Therefore our limited resources must be targeted to achieve a greater reduction in road casualties.
“Sadly, the poor driving standards you have described are seen on a daily basis in numerous locations and refer to driver behaviour, which unfortunately, we cannot control.”
Coun Brown is planning a series of public meetings in and around Newbold to discuss the matter. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/NewboldBrownsoverCommunityCouncillors for more information.
