Would 20mph limit make gyratory safer?

9:27am Monday 8th October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Gina Bebbington

Would 20mph limit make gyratory safer? Would 20mph limit make gyratory safer?

SPEED limits need to be slashed to improve safety on Northwich’s trial gyratory, according to town councillors.

Northwich Town Council agreed that a 20mph safe zone should be imposed on the controversial one-way system to stop motorists using it as a racing circuit.

Clr Andy Stott said: “Drivers coming down Winnington Hill have a clear run and it’s becoming quite a race track.

“There have been a number of accidents on there and I just think something needs to be done to calm down the speed of traffic and allow people to see our town centre rather than go past in a blur.”

Town mayor Clr George Mainwaring added: “We have a beautiful town with plenty of hospitality places and we want people to visit the town but there’s a super highway down the middle of it.

“Older people are frightened because the traffic is so quick.

“If you stand by Searfarer it really is a race track along there.

“We’ve got Church Walk School, a play area and the entrance to a supermarket so it does need looking at.”

Clr Mainwaring emphasised Clr Stott’s suggestion that if people drove through town too fast they would miss what it could offer.

“If people want to bypass town that’s one thing but really we want people to come in and support our shops,” he said.

The town council agreed that it should write to Cheshire West and Chester Council’s highways department and ask it to consider setting up a 20mph safe zone on the gyratory, as well as more adequate signage.

The gyratory is currently about half way through an 18-month trial period.

Comments(18)

True Local Government says...
11:43am Mon 8 Oct 12

Could we have details of how many accidents have happened as a result of the gyratory? I would have thought this was important?

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AntiNimby says...
11:48pm Mon 8 Oct 12

What they are admitting is the system is unsafe. Many of us said that from the start. Want to make it safe. PUT IT BACK HOW IT WAS! When will they stop flogging this dead horse?

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AntiNimby says...
12:07am Tue 9 Oct 12

They also say they want people to see the town. Simple solution...make it accessible to vehicular traffic. To get to the rear of town now if coming from Town bridge, you have to almost drive out of Northwich. I expect that's why many people chose to drive straight past "in a blur" saluting the idiots who ruined Northwich. Will the last person to visit please turn out the lights.

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onered says...
9:16am Tue 9 Oct 12

The Gyratory System has been a total disaster.

It has promoted the most appalling driver actions and traffic queues. Dump it immediately.

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100246 says...
2:12pm Tue 9 Oct 12

Does anyone from CWACC Highways read these comments, if so, they should by now have got the message the new system is causing a lot more problems than it has solved.
I think it should be scraped as soon as possible before it does anymore irreversible damage to the town

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mr worldly wiseman says...
6:38pm Tue 9 Oct 12

The biggest problem is the number of morons coming down Castle and driving straight into the left lane as they hit the bridge, without even looking whats approaching from there left down Winnington hill,
if I had a pound for every idiot ive had to dodge or take evasive action from I would be wealthy man,

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stardusziggy says...
11:25am Wed 10 Oct 12

for anyone just trying to shop.try winsford.its brilliant,no endless traffic lights ,no queing,no stupid dangerous one way system. multi storey car park.i now avoid northwich as much as i can,seems thats what the council wants,

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GrumpyBum says...
12:57pm Wed 10 Oct 12

If a 30MPH limit is being ignored, what makesyou think a 20mph limit wont be?
Best thing to do with the system is admit defeat and scrap it.
It doesnt encourage people into the town, it makes people avoid it.
Those who go past in a blur are more than likely attempting to change lane before they get sent around the **** thing again.
Im still waiting to find out how I am supposed to get from right lane into my street at peak times... oh wait why would they care? I only live here and pay tax.

Wonder if we changed the towns name to Chester II we would get the same crap dealt to us by these idiots.

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WHS says...
10:29pm Wed 10 Oct 12

I have had no real problem with the one way system and have said so more than once but it is obvious to me that it doesn't seem to work at peak times. Reducing the speed limit is pointless, it will have little or no impact. We need two new wider bridges that we won't get so all we can do is go back to the old system and hope for the best.
Despite all our traffic problems some idiot in government thinks the area can happily cope with another couple of hundred wagons every day heading for the TATA site in Lostock which has one way in and one way out, should be fun!!
WHS.

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GrumpyBum says...
9:54am Thu 11 Oct 12

You know what, WHS you have a fantastic point, the future trucks are going to be a whole load of fun I never even thought of. I think I am going to have to swap my car for a monster truck to get home again

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WHS says...
10:45am Thu 11 Oct 12

Sadly you are not the only one, our brilliant councillors did not use this argument against the Incinerator.
WHS.

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100246 says...
10:59am Thu 11 Oct 12

Another accident on Town bridge/Bullring this morning

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Lindsey6677 says...
12:03pm Thu 11 Oct 12

I don't have any real issue with the new system,probably because I don't use it on a daily basis,but it does seem completely unnecessary.I certainly preferred it as it was.Being able to turn left just after the bridge in the bullring and (when in the right hand lane) not feeling like I could get carried right by traffic next to the market car park and end up going around the whole circuit again.I am not sure what the aims were when it was introduced but a 20mph speed limit isn't going to solve the problems.

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GOFFY says...
6:58pm Thu 11 Oct 12

It really makes me wonder what planet some of the town Councillors come from,
straight run down Winnington Hill I don't think so because the last time I came down the hill there was a bend with a tight pinch point on it, with regard to passing through the town in a blur, how can anyone pass through in blur when there are 4 sets of traffics lights within about 350 meters? (bull ring, seafarer, crum hill, and venables road) the only thing that passes through Northwich in a blur are the emergency services. Cllr Stott has forgotten to tell us how many accidents there have been, and how serious they were or was it just a guess? perhaps if he reads these comments he could enlighten us.
As for the comments by the Town Mayor Cllr George Mainwaring he has not said where all the hospitality places are or what they are, and as for a beautiful town, I love Northwich and never envisage living anywhere else but lets be honest the 1960's monstrosities (the old county offices, the police station, the court house and the old DSS building) are hideous, and now the Freemasons club is up for sale and looks derelict, so it is hardly surprising that people don't stop and stay if that is all that is on offer. There is nothing wrong with the 30MPH speed limit perhaps the Town Council should write to the police and ask them to concentrate on the town center area keeping a particular watch for speeding motorists. The places the two Councillors have mentioned Winnington Hill Witton Walk School, the supermarket and the playground are not within the gyratory road scheme. the two Councillors should take note of the old saying make sure your brain is in gear before engaging your mouth, either that or go back to the planet PLONKA.

Goffy

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DMill59 says...
12:03pm Fri 12 Oct 12

Goffy - Brilliant post, I agree with every word you've said - in fact it's like you've voiced my own opinions!
I'd just like to add one point; are our councillors unwittingly encouraging dangerous driving by wanting drivers to admire the 'scenery' in the centre of Northwich rather than keeping their eyes on the road?

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mr worldly wiseman says...
8:54pm Fri 12 Oct 12

Yet more traffic accident victims today 12/10/12,an artic took the front corner of a bus off while negotiating our idiotic traffic system .
as an ex HGV driver myself i feel sorry for any stranger trying to negotiate it.
And I imagine that getting an artic around the corner onto chesterway from the bridge end is impossible without your 40ft trailer straying across into the other lane.
[I hope the driver sues the cwac for creating a hazardous road or some such thing; I know i would be out with a tape to see if this junction conforms to acceptable standards and statutes.

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Jack Hay says...
8:45pm Sat 13 Oct 12

The councillors have to be pretty dim if they think a 20mph limit on the town's main through routes is a good idea. The idea of the one-way system as I understand it is to increase traffic capacity to cope with the marina development and Baron's Quay when they come. It's an experiment and if it doesn't achieve better flow then it should be removed. How dim do you have to be to think that keeping it but imposing a 20mph speed limit will solve the traffic flow problem, or a dangerous junction problem? Where there are dangerous junctions they should be addressed individually and carefully (I admit I haven't seen an accident of the type others refer to, yet) but keeping a badly designed junction, unaltered, and thinking you can deal with it by a blanket 20mph speed limit is just crass. Who elected these twerps? Oh, we did. Better vote differently next time.

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100246 says...
9:21pm Fri 19 Oct 12

3 vehicle shunt near Hayhurst bridge blocks one lane at junction of Navigation road this afternoon

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