Witherley Road speed humps

[Madhatter]

The debate over speed humps on Witherley road still rages on. This story hit the news today. Seems a battle of the elected is going on in Atherstone.

Personally I think its good that Mike O Brian is getting involved, up to date no councillors for the borough or County have in my opinion been doing their job correctly. Borough and County seem to do as they please and have little or no regard to what the people of the town, want or need.
And who is Carol Cox anyway? I've never heard of her and this issue very much affects me. I have to drive over the things when ever I leave southbound and return. I have to play whacky races with the cars in the middle of the road. Traffic down the hill is faster than ever as traffic speeds up to make up lost time going over the humps. A clear road after the humps is an invite to speed up.
Th majority didn't want humps. Crossing and speed limit reduction FROM THE SCHOOL, yes. Speed reduction as soon as we come of the roundabout and speed humps NO.


Anger at MP Mike O'Brien over Atherstone road humps

Aug 3 2009 by Mike Malyon, Coventry Telegraph

NORTH Warwickshire MP Mike O’Brien has been told: “Keep your nose out of our speed humps protest.”

Residents in Witherley Road, Atherstone, have launched a campaign to get rid of the humps, which they claim do not conform to national safety standards.

The case was taken up by Carol Cox when she was elected as county councillor for the area, winning the seat for the Conservatives by ousting Labour stalwart Richard Grant.

Mrs Cox said: “ Before the election, I had invited the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Caroline Spelman and the prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate for the area, Dan Byles, to Atherstone to view the problem.

"Mrs Spelman agreed that local people should be consulted over what should be done.

“I am now in the process of arranging a full consultation with local residents by the county council so it was a surprise to see Mr O’Brien wading into the debate with a visit of his own – despite the issue of speed bumps being a local council matter and not a Parliamentary issue.”

Coun Cox added: “Local people have been concerned for some time and I promised that if I was elected, I would organise a proper, official county council consultation.

"So it is quite annoying to find that the local MP, without any discussion with county or borough councillors, is now undermining the official consultation with some sort of personal campaign of his own.

“This is a county matter and as the councillor for the area, I have made it a priority to get this sorted. The local MP should stop confusing the situation.”

[Madhatter]

There was a meeting on Wednesday 25th November 2009 at Witherley Road Queen Elizabeth School held by WCC to consult with local residents.
Geoff Wilding interviewed WCC and local residents for local internet radio station NWR nwrradio.mypodcast.com/2009/11/Residents_get_the_hump-261108.html.

Unfortunately I because the meeting wasn't at a weekend and i was working I was unable to attend and voice my views. No doubt if it was at the weekend attendance would have been much higher.

[slider]

I find those humps an absolute pain in the neck, literally, and my suspension is starting to make noises having driven over them quite a few times now. Far to vicious....

[Madhatter]

Well most people still drive straight down the middle. Its like whacky races in the day and going up an airport runway at night for those that do, so I'm told. Me being an honest law abiding citizen I wouldn't do such a thing.
I'm surprised county haven't done anything about it, I'd have thought they'd have realised what people do and moved them closer together.
They are mellowing out on now though, they still give the suspension in the van a good whack, but not as much as they did. However a car is narrower than the van, the van goes straight over the humps and Polesworth, cars get at Polesworth what i get at at Atherstone, so I imagine its still really harsh on a cars suspension.

[Madhatter]

It made front page of the herald on the 11th.Pupils are fighting to stop the speed humps being took out (should the head be teaching kids to fight!)
It said that years of campaigning by pupils saw the instalation of the humps costing £60,000 just 12 months ago. but an avalanche of complaints since then including a 500 signature petition organised by the Atherstone Chamber of Trade and Commerce could now result in the speed humps being removed.
The students feel that if they are removed the risk of accidents will increase and the fight against bad drivers will be lost. However drivers are dangerously driving up the middle and risk being prosecuted fro dangerous driving if they do so whilst cars are coming the other way.
The Chamber of Trade and Commerce they started the petion because the humps are deterring people from coming into the town centre. People are going through the industrial estate instead.
WCC's Carol Fox Many drivers describe the humps as too high, harsh and basically unfit for the purpose.
The problem is difficult to address as witherley road is an abnormal load route as well as a route for emergency vehicles. Other issues include the amount of driveways leading onto the road, all limit options.
Cllr Fox is exploring the option of implementing a speed camera scheme to replace the humps.

[Madhatter]

New traffic calming measures for Witherley Road are on their way following a decision by Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet to support average speed cameras along the road.

The pilot scheme, the first of its kind in Warwickshire, will see the use of the average speed cameras.

A series of works in which cameras installed at both ends of the road will record the average speed of vehicles travelling along Witherley Road will enforce the road's 30mph speed limit. The speed bumps currently in place will be removed.

Cllr Carol Fox, the county councillor for the division, says she is delighted with the result which follows more than a year of work with the authority and the local community. The decision by Cabinet came following months of consultation in which local businesses, residents and the local school addressed their concerns with the current system.

Cllr Fox, who is also a member of the North Warwickshire Area Committee, delegated some of her councillor allocation towards the consultation as well as to the cost of installing the traffic cameras. Cabinet's decision means that the remainder of the money has been agreed, enabling work to begin on the scheme.

She said: "The county council listened and has responded very positively to the concerns of the business community, the local residents and Queen Elizabeth School.

"The proposals for Witherley Road agreed at area committee were presented to cabinet, which approved the recommendation, that average speed cameras should be installed on Witherley Road, hopefully before the end of the year."

Previously, the speed bumps in the road had caused concern among residents, the school and local businesses. The Atherstone Chamber of Trade and Commerce submitted a petition to the county council calling for an alternative means of traffic calming.

The new scheme will see the installation of two cameras at the ends of the road which will record a vehicle's speed upon entering and leaving the school zone.

Vehicles averaging over 30mph will be penalised and face sanctions of fines, points or the possibility of attending a Speed Awareness Workshop, if certain criteria are met.

News article courtesy of Warwickshire County Council.

Join my face book group against the evil speed cameras that will simply move the problem elsewhere and cost people their livelihoods.
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128644947162913&v=wall