Safety plea over crash junction (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
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Improvements have been called for to the junction of Broadway Lane, Wickwater Lane and the Spine Road following the death of 24-year-old Max Hartshorne from South Cerney
6:00pm Friday 31st August 2012 in News By Ian Craig
Resident Alan Waller is calling for improvements to the crossroads at Broadway Lane and Wickwater Lane near South Cerney
A TRAGIC accident which left a 24-year-old from South Cerney dead has led to calls for a hazardous junction to be improved.
Max Hartshorne died in the early hours of Sunday August 12 in a suspected hit-and-run on the Spine Road.
Alan Waller has lived in Ashton Keynes for 10 years and has been campaigning Gloucester County Council’s highways department to take action on the dangers of the crossroads of Broadway Lane, Wickwater Lane and the Spine Road, near where Max was killed, for many years.
“It was an accident waiting to happen unfortunately,” he said. “The eyeline as you’re coming out of Broadway Lane makes it look like a straight road – a lot of drivers coming out of Broadway Lane don’t notice the crossing is there and drive straight across to Wickwater Lane.
“There’s a lot of visitors to the area who just aren’t aware the crossing is there.
“Personally when I come up to that junction I slow right down just to give me a chance if something is coming out.
“I got in touch with GCC a year ago and they agreed to do an audit – what they did was put a small warning sign about 100 yards from the junction but it doesn’t even say anything on it.”
He added he hoped GCC would follow the example of the junctions just over the Gloucestershire-Wiltshire border, which he said are clearly marked.
“There are junctions just a few miles away in Wiltshire, such as when you’re going into Ewen, with three give way signs,” he said.
“Other junctions have rumble strips.
“In an ideal world there would be a mini roundabout that would slow the traffic right down.
Scott Macaulay-Lowe, GCC local highways manager for Cotswold South said the council would await the results of the police investigation into Max’s death before considering if any action would be taken.
