Concerns raised over safety of traffic islands on Brook Way

Further concerns have been raised over the safety of a series of traffic islands on Brook Way, Bradley Stoke following a second incident in which a vehicle flipped over after apparently striking the kerb of one of the islands.

The latest incident, which happened near the junction with The Common East, occurred at around 6.30pm on Saturday 23rd January and involved a silver Vauxhall Zafira which, according to police, hit a bollard and flipped onto its side.

A police spokesperson added: “The male driver suffered a cut hand and shock, but wasn’t seriously hurt. He was treated by an ambulance crew. There were no offences committed. The car had to be towed away and the road was clear by 8.15pm.”

The incident appears to be remarkably similar to one that occurred further down Brook Way on 1st October last year, in which a red VW Polo flipped over near the junction with Merryweather Close.

The driver of that vehicle also escaped serious injury and police similarly concluded that no offences had been committed.

In both incidents, the vehicle appears to have been launched into the air after striking the front ‘nose’ of a narrow traffic island that separates the main carriageway from an on-road cycle lane in the vicinity of a speed cushion and informal pedestrian crossing.

Following the October incident, Journal editor Stephen Horton voiced concerns over the safety of the traffic islands and bollards at a meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council, remarking that the incident could have had much more serious consequences had pedestrians been in the vicinity of the crossing.

The matter was referred to South Gloucestershire Council, who replied with statistics showing that there had been four ‘injury accidents’ on Brook Way over the last thirteen years (one in the last ten years). They noted that the existing traffic calming scheme is showing signs of wear and tear and its possible replacement could be “fully investigated and costed over the next 12 months” and included as a potential scheme for selection by councillors.

In the meantime, the council said it intended to get the existing bollards furnished with a wide band of white reflective tape to help make them more visible to motorists, but there are doubts as to whether this measure has actually been implemented yet.

This article originally appeared in the February 2016 edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

Postscript: Reflective tape (variously red or white) appeared on some of the bollards on Brook Way during the week commencing 1st February, just after our February magazine went to print.