Concerns raised over safety on 'danger road' - The Evesham Observer

Concerns raised over safety on 'danger road'

Evesham Editorial 19th Oct, 2015 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

A WORRIED Pershore resident has dubbed a notorious town speed trap a ‘rat run’ and believes the situation will only get worse should current plans to expand medical centre be approved.

Council planning chiefs approved proposals to expand the Abbottswood Medical Practice car park at a meeting on Thursday (October 15).

The doctors surgery is planning to expand the number of consultation rooms and increase parking spaces from 36 to 52, a proposal heavily criticised for not being enough to cope with the expected increase in traffic.

Ahead of the meeting, Nancy Mattey, who has lived in Great Calcroft Road for more than two decades, told the Observer Defford Road was already difficult to cross.




The concerned resident fears the failure to expand the Abbottswood Medical Practice car park fully could make the road even more dangerous.

“Everyone seems to be driving to the limit or more, it’s 30 along there and a lot of people definitely aren’t doing 30, only when the speed van’s there. There’s been quite a lot of complaints about speeding along that road,” she said.


“Before 9am it’s quite a rat run from Three Springs Road down to the High Street and then again at tea time, 3pm onwards it’s quite busy.

“I think there was a movable flashing speed limit sign and there has been quite a few complaints further along by Birlingham Close but it would be nice to see one of those flashing signs permanently,” she added.

The mother of two said she was concerned the problems with the road hadn’t been thought about before NHS Property Services sold the old Cottage Hospital site to Churchill, who have plans to build a retirement home with 24 apartments.

“Personally I don’t think they should have the residential home there at all, I do think Abbottswood should be allowed to expand because it’s going to need to be a lot bigger anyway to cater for the new housing in Pershore,” she added.

“There’s another so many houses being built on Station Road, so I actually think Abbottswood should be allowed to expand and have a big car park and no residential place there at all.

As well as issues with the road, the Pershore resident is worried about the safety of the path that will run along the side of the site if it gets the green light from planning chiefs.

“I’ve got an issue with the right-hand side of the road as the pavement is far too narrow,” she said.

“If they get the plans through they’ve got to do something about that pavement because you have to walk single file so someone with a mobility scooter, which they might do from the retirement place, there’s no way of passing each other on the pavement.

“They definitely need to look at traffic flow and pedestrian flow and all the practicalities,” she added.

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