 | Home > Pictures & Video > My local accident 'blackspot' |
 
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| X4SKP Member Since: 29 Nov 2013 Location: Berkshire Posts: 2295   
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Hello all
When does an area become an accident blackspot... 
This is what I think classes as mine. I've lived in West Berkshire for 25 years now, and at least once a week make the journey to my parents in Sandhurst, it's a pleasant enough cross country drive... but with one exception, I need to cross the A33 that heads South from the M4 (Junction 11). I cross at a roundabout near Wellington Country Park travelling initially West to East, with then East to West waiting on my return, I'm very mindful of the (not untypically) fast approaching traffic on the A33 heading South.  Click image to enlarge Now maybe there are many drivers that having recently left the Motorway maintain these higher speeds, and in this location technically they can as it is a national speed limit (70mph) dual carriage way... Click image to enlarge When you approach the first roundabout south of the M4 you could be travelling at any speed your vehicle is capable of, and over the years many have got this wrong, the signs warn to slow down, there are street lights, but the roundabout is generally 'out of view' on a slow right hand bend until what for some is too late... Click image to enlarge At the roundabout the dual carriage way ends and if your going straight over there is a single exit road, you have also generally cars waiting East and West to cross... Click image to enlarge The direct South route at speed then gets interesting, the roundabout is in a shallow 'bowl' with camber to help you 'flick' through at speed, If you get this wrong you go straight ahead... Click image to enlarge The dark green area of 'woodland' is typically where you enter... Click image to enlarge Recently I arrived at my 'cross over point' and saw this... (occupants were reportedly OK, but this was a serious incident with what looks like only the big tree at the end bringing the RR to a halt) Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge I see evidence of this high approach speed almost every time I cross this roundabout, and probably once a month or so there looks to have been either an accident on the roundabout or another 'woodland extraction'. Whilst I know I'm generally 'risk averse' and certainly drive my Defender with my Motor Cycle Training head on to avoid getting into trouble... but what turns a regular problem area into an accident blackspot...
Are these all just poor judgements from drivers, or should more be done here to slow approach vehicles down... SKIP
https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic83242.html |
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16th Feb 2020 11:38am |
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| v8bob Member Since: 14 Mar 2018 Location: Midlands Posts: 319 
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No doubt it was caused by faulty brakes. The car obviously should have applied the brakes itself, as the driver couldn’t read the signs or the road.
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16th Feb 2020 12:50pm |
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| benniferj Member Since: 20 Oct 2016 Location: Basingstoke Posts: 361 
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I know the area well, living in Basingstoke, and heading that way a lot.
It is not as clear cut as maybe you think, in rush hour you get the left lane queue a lot ... so people hit the right lane, way too fast, and go straight ahead (which is legal and an option as the straight ahead exit has a very short merge) There is a chance that a driver in the left lane going straight ahead has swerved and panicked as someone coming up too fast on the inside has driven him off the road going straight ahead also. Either way, it's rubbish, but the land adjacent to the roundabout is owned by the equestrian centre and not the council, its a shame it can't be sorted. |
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16th Feb 2020 7:27pm |
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| DonH2000 Member Since: 12 Jan 2015 Location: North Kent Posts: 551 
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Looks like his/her first time off-roading to me....... Cheers Don.
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17th Feb 2020 9:16am |
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| Siwynne Member Since: 04 Nov 2016 Location: West lancs Posts: 588 
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Each local authority will have a different policy depending on funding. As that is dual carriageway it will be under the umbrella authority eg in west lancs our main routes are under Lancashire CC highways dept and May well be highways agency again depending on history, location and importance of road. I have experience managing a site that exited on a blind bend on an A road. A number of major incidents Involving cutting cars apart occurred on my watch. Each evening 13 coaches of school kids had to exit and it was heart stopping. Lancs highways were offered land opposite to construct a roundabout/junction but stated that as there had been no fatalities it was not a priority. My point was that a large number of fatalities could occur in one hit. This was put in writing by the authority and I still have that letter even though I have not worked there for eight years.
The current owners have spent large amounts and worked with English heritage to change the exit from the site to make it safer with no input from LCC or highways. Number of fatalities make it a hotspot. |
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17th Feb 2020 9:44am |
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| X4SKP Member Since: 29 Nov 2013 Location: Berkshire Posts: 2295
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Hello Siwynne
That's a difficult situation to try and influence 'on your watch'... 
Collectively campaigners often need to play the long game with councils and local authorities to get anywhere... I'm sure there are relatively low cost solutions to try first...on the approach to this A33 roundabout I think there is reasonable evidence (from Highways England) that the progressively closer 'cross lines' work, even a speed lowering from 70 to 50 is possible and the phycological 'your speeding sad face' appears to work too...
Without knowing the details of what happened to this RR... too much momentum was a factor...  SKIP
https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic83242.html |
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17th Feb 2020 10:54am |
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| miker Member Since: 13 Sep 2015 Location: Surrey Posts: 1768 
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Lots of people out there seem to think that no change in driving style is needed when going from a small 1200kg hatchback with 100hp, to a tall 2200kg SUV with over 200hp....
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17th Feb 2020 11:14am |
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| Mike c Member Since: 11 Aug 2017 Location: Maldon, Essex Posts: 930 
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The other problem you have these days is that modern cars really mask their speed to the driver hence why everyone seems to drive faster imo, they probably dont realise until it's too late, also distractions in the car with silly infotainment screens etc dont help the driver concentrate on the task in hand...
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17th Feb 2020 12:03pm |
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| X4SKP Member Since: 29 Nov 2013 Location: Berkshire Posts: 2295
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Whilst studying Engineering... our professor said
'the safest place to situate the driver is within a glass sphere in front of the bumper' it got a laugh... but there is a credible line of thinking not to isolate the driving experience too far from its consequences SKIP
https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic83242.html |
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17th Feb 2020 12:15pm |
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| VVS210 Member Since: 12 Nov 2016 Location: Hampshire Posts: 953
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End of the Swallowfield bypass, used to be part of my daily commute to work in Shinfield, wasn't much better back then! You have to ask if that's where the car ended up what would have happened if someone had been on the roundabout at that point... A33 from Basingstoke to that roundabout has always been a bit of an accident magnet hence why it has the speed restrctions and gets regular visits from the "safety camera partnership" van.
As a slight aside, you can imagine the fun I had negotiating the queue of traffic heading north into that roundabout then actually pulling out onto it one morning when the release fork had failed on the clutch of my 200Tdi Discovery - pulling away involved putting the car in gear with the engine off & turning the key changing gear once moving was a bit easier but stopping was a real question of timing. |
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17th Feb 2020 9:39pm |
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| Thon Member Since: 22 Nov 2015 Location: Salisbury Plain Posts: 696
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I remember in the dim and distant past (probably mid 80's) a Saab 96 having struck one of the lamp posts on that roundabout so hard that it literally wrapped itself all the way around the post in perfect symmetry. Doesn't look like much has changed since then, except maybe the introduction of sacrificial lamp posts.
As regards to improvements to the roundabout, it was explained to me by the instructors on the speed awareness course I recently took that the authorities log the incidents at a junction / roundabout and once a certain threshold has been passed, "improvements" are made. The subsequent incidents are then logged for the next threshold to be attained, etc, etc. I suspect the threshold for further improvement has not been reached quite yet. Might it not be simpler / safer to find another route until that happens? |
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18th Feb 2020 10:57pm |
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| Doc P Member Since: 03 Apr 2016 Location: Midlands Posts: 565 
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Incredible isn’t it? We live in a cul-de-sac which opens onto a country road with the national speed limit on it. The junction is 50 yds from a blind bend (hedgerows making seeing what’s coming impossible unless it’s a high vehicle). I complained to the borough council - saying that I don’t own the required Lamborghini to get from 0 to whatever speed Jonny Chav is doing coming round that bend as I pull out before he’s up my a&£e (usually accompanied by flashing lights/shaking of fists etc.).
They wrote back saying, effectively, just that - there needs to be enough evidence of incidents before the speed limit can change. There are sections of the road further along which are limited to 40. Where we are, there are folks driveways opening onto that road where legally you can do 60 (and some go far faster - bikers being the biggest culprits I’m afraid). Do they want blood or what? All I want is a lower limit near to our housing - same as it is for others up the same road. |
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22nd Feb 2020 2:02pm |
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| Mike c Member Since: 11 Aug 2017 Location: Maldon, Essex Posts: 930
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The national limit needs abolishing imo on country roads, all cars these days are pretty quick and it's far too easy to drive too fast for conditions. It was introduced when the average car could barely get to 60mph let alone in 8 seconds which is probably now the norm.
Trouble is it wouldn't be enforced, remember speed traps in 30 zones with an actual Police officer? Cant remember the last time I saw one! |
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22nd Feb 2020 3:38pm |
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| 90 Dreamer Member Since: 13 Jul 2019 Location: Oop North Posts: 2174 
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Not bods but plenty of camera van spots around here
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22nd Feb 2020 7:42pm |
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