ANOTHER crash at a junction on the outskirts of Chipping Campden has heightened ongoing concerns over its safety.
A Mercedes van travelling along Kingcombe Lane collided with a car heading out of Dyers Lane on Friday, July 23, something which "blocked the intersection for three hours" according to resident Godfrey Bell.
Mr Bell has been an advocate of more signs and traffic calming measures in the area for years on the back of past accidents.
And despite Gloucestershire County Council removing a tree to improve visibility, painting yellow warning strips on the road and providing clearer signage, he says more needs to be done.
"On average there seems to be a serious accident at least once a year but this glibly dismisses the near misses," he said.
"Screeching brakes, blaring horns and sharp, sudden and dramatic swerves to avoid a collision happen at least weekly. This intersection can be terrifying for those who are confronted with an imminent crash."
One of the key problems is the hill start coming from Dyers Lane into or across a road where a 60 miles per hour speed limit applies.
"Many anxious drivers freely admit they do not like hill starts at the best of times and by the time they hesitate just a few seconds too many to pull out to cross Kingcombe Lane or turn left or right, they realise they have misjudged the speed of approaching traffic down Kingcombe Lane," added Mr Bell.
"Some drivers have been seen sweeping left into Kingcombe Lane from Dyers Lane without even slowing down.
"The new housing development lower down Dyers Lane nearer Chipping Campden is destined to add greater traffic pressure on the tiny Dyers Lane and will result in more vehicles travelling through the intersection."
Mr Bell says Gloucestershire County Council "has consistently refused to introduce a speed limit here".
Among his suggestions to tackle the problem are a lower speed limit on the road that goes through the intersection, electric road signs which flash slow down and provide the speed, no passing lines on the road through the intersection.
Further ideas that Mr Bell refers to as more "left field" include redesigning the intersection entirely to reduce the required hill start, upgrading Dyers Lane so a more gentle gradient is achieved on the approach to Kingcombe Lane, replacing the give way at the top of Dyers Lane with a stop sign, making the turn left much sharper "reducing the temptation to swing around it to avoid a hill start", close uphill access to the road from Dyers Lane or make Dyers Lane wider.
Rhodri Grey, local highways manager at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Following local concerns we have previously carried out a number of improvements at this junction, including adding additional signs and road markings, to help raise awareness of the need for drivers to slow down.
“Creating a safe driving environment is a priority and we continue to keep the situation under review.
"I have been to this location recently and will be visiting again soon. Going forward we will carefully consider any appropriate further measures that could be taken if we believe they might help.”
Gloucestershire Police said they had no record of being called to the crash, although Mr Bell said they had been present. We are awaiting clarification.
South West Ambulance Service has yet to respond to a request for information.
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