The Bradley Stoke Journal

South Gloucestershire Council is running a second consultation on its proposed road safety improvements for Bradley Stoke Way, in the vicinity of the Willow Brook Centre.

The latest consultation, which runs until Wednesday 8th February, invites comments on the new toucan crossing that is proposed to replace two uncontrolled crossing points that were the sites of two serious road traffic accidents during 2011.

The new light-controlled crossing will be situated approximately midway between the two existing crossing points and new guardrails will be installed to deter pedestrians from crossing the carriageway away from the new toucan crossing.

There is still no news on the outcome of the first consultation on the overall scheme, which ran from 20th December 2011 to 8th January 2012. The Journal has learned that “seven or eight” responses were received but the Council has so far not found the time to give personal replies or publish an analysis of the results on its website.

Cllr Brian Allinson, SGC’s executive member for planning and transport, said last year that work on the new measures would start in March 2012 but that schedule now appears to have slipped by at least a month, with the Council now saying:

“Depending on the results of the public consultation and advertisement, the scheme is programmed to be designed in this financial year (2011/12) with a view for implementation in 2012/13.”

More: Speed monitoring exercise began on morning of 2nd accident »

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South Gloucestershire Council is inviting residents to have their say on a number of proposed casualty reduction measures on Bradley Stoke Way, in the vicinity of the Willow Brook Centre.

The consultation comes after two school-age children were seriously injured in separate traffic accidents along this stretch of road earlier this year.

A public petition for improved safety measures on the road, started after the second incident (in September), was signed by more than 3,900 people and resulted in the issue being debated at a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council last week.

A meeting in October attended by the Council’s transport chief, Council officers, local Councillors, local police and headteachers of local schools outlined a number of proposed safety measures for the road and these have now been formalised in the plans that are the focus of the current consultation.

The main component of the proposed scheme is the provision of a new signal-controlled (toucan) pedestrian crossing on Bradley Stoke Way, close to the pedestrian access point from Wheatfield Drive. This new crossing will replace the two existing uncontrolled crossing points where the recent accidents occurred.

The proposals also include an extension of the existing 30mph speed limit northwards by 260m, so that it includes the new crossing. It is also proposed that the 30mph limit be extended south of the Savages Wood Roundabout to include the existing toucan crossing between Snowberry Close and Champs Sur Marne.

More: New northbound bus lane to be introduced »

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Representatives of a group campaigning for improved road safety measures on Bradley Stoke Way will tonight (Wednesday 14th) address a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) in a debate secured through the Council’s petitions scheme.

Two serious accidents involving school-age children on the stretch of the road near the Willow Brook Centre earlier this year led to a group of concerned parents and residents launching a public petition to force a debate at a meeting of Full Council – through a mechanism enshrined in the South Gloucestershire Petitions Scheme.

Officially launched on Saturday 15th October, two weeks after the second serious accident on the road, the petition soon achieved the 2,500 signatures required to force a debate and the number of supporters has since grown to over 3,900.

The petition called on the Council to install a new ‘raised table’ toucan crossing, replacing the two drop kerb uncontrolled crossing points where the recent accidents have occurred. It also demanded conversion of the dual carriageway stretch of Bradley Stoke Way to a single lane, the introduction of a 30mph speed limit and the installation of improved warning signage and over-speed indicators.

Since the petition was launched, the Council has committed to installing a new toucan crossing between Wheatfield Drive and Savages Wood and extending the 30mph speed limit in a northerly direction so that it includes the new toucan crossing. The 30mph zone will also be extended in a southerly direction south of the Savages Wood Roundabout – to include the existing toucan crossing between Snowberry Close and Champs Sur Marne.

More: Current plans omit speed table and lane reduction »

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South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has announced that a range of new measures are to be introduced to improve road safety on Bradley Stoke Way, in the vicinity of the Willow Brook Centre.

The news follows two serious accidents on this stretch of road this year alone, both of which involved children who were using informal crossing points between Savages Wood and the shopping centre.

A public petition for improved road safety measures launched after the most recent incident attracted 2,600 signatures in just six days after it was officially launched by concerned parents and residents on 15th September.

The planned improvements announced today include extending the existing 30mph speed limit zone and constructing a new light-controlled pedestrian crossing.

SGC officers and executive member for planning and transport Brian Allinson met with representatives from local schools on Tuesday 18th October to discuss concerns about road safety at the location and consider options for improvements.

The meeting heard that following the recent serious injury accident on Bradley Stoke Way in September, the council had implemented a number of measures to tackle traffic speed, including introducing additional road signs and markings and requesting police mobile speed enforcement.

Cllr Allinson also announced that a programme of work has now been drawn up to extend the area covered by the existing 30mph speed limit and to change two existing dropped kerb crossing points into one new light-controlled pedestrian crossing.

More: Proposed measures to be discussed at a public meeting on Tuesday 1st November »

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has agreed to draft a proposal for a second toucan crossing on Bradley Stoke Way near the spot where a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured in a traffic accident three weeks ago.

The news is revealed in the latest newsletter of Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS), where the injured boy is a student in Year 9.

BSCS Headteacher Dave Baker reports that he attended a meeting this week with representatives of SGC, including Cllr Brian Allinson, the Council’s Executive Member for Transport, members of the police force and other local headteachers.

Mr Baker says that the safety of pedestrians crossing Bradley Stoke Way was the only agenda item at the meeting, which was arranged after headteachers, parents and other residents voiced concern that nothing seemed to have been done to improve road safety after an earlier accident at virtually the same location in February.

According to Mr Baker, the Council has agreed to prepare a proposal to:

• Add a second toucan crossing at the crossing point between the entrance to Savages Wood and the entrance to Bradley Stoke Way from Wheatfield Drive
• Reduce the speed limit to 30 mph from just north of the new crossing
• Install railings at the side of the road to discourage people from crossing anywhere other than the two designated crossing areas

More about the proposals that were discussed at the meeting »

A formal petition calling on South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) to implement a series of road safety improvement measures on Bradley Stoke Way is to be officially launched tomorrow (Saturday 15th).

The move comes after an accident on Friday 30th September at a recognised crossing point on the busy road, in which a 13-year-old boy, believed to have been riding a mini-scooter, was in collision with a motorcyclist. The boy suffered serious head, abdomen, arm and leg injuries and was taken to Frenchay Hospital, where he remains in a critical but stable condition. The motorcyclist was also taken to hospital with a broken leg and a broken arm.

A similar accident in February this year, that occurred at an “informal crossing point” just 40m away from the site of the most recent incident, left a 10-year-old cyclist with life changing injuries after he was in collision with a car.

Both of the incidents occurred in the area where Bradley Stoke Way changes from dual to single carriageway, just north of the Willow Brook Centre.

Organised by a group of concerned parents and residents, the petition calls on the Council to install a new ‘raised table’ Toucan crossing, to replace the two drop kerb uncontrolled crossing points where the recent accidents have occurred. The group is also demanding that the dual carriageway stretch of Bradley Stoke Way to be converted to single lane traffic, the introduction of  a 30mph speed limit and the installation of improved warning signage and over-speed indicators.

The petition, which has been running online since Monday 10th October, will be officially launched at the Willow Brook Centre at 12 noon on Saturday. Residents will be given the chance to sign up on the day and will also be able to take away a signature form to allow them to collect further signatures. [A signature form can also be download here]

Under SGC’s Petitions Scheme, if the petition is able to attract 2,500 signatures, the Council will be forced to debate the matter at a meeting of its Full Council.

SGC: Speed monitoring exercise was underway at the time of the second accident »