Call for action to end traffic danger in Shottery

RESIDENTS in North Shottery fear lives could be in danger unless something is done about the “traffic chaos” in the village.

So incensed are they by years of complaining to officials without action being taken that they have taken matters into their own hands.

The first step of the newly-formed North Shottery Residents’ Association (NSRA), which already has 70 members, has been to draw up an action plan.

When the Herald met NSRA chair Richard Morgan and other residents outside his house on the blind corner of Shottery and Tavern Lane the chaos we witnessed was shocking.

Bus after bus coming down Shottery towards the girls’ grammar school forced oncoming traffic on the narrow road to mount the pavement right by us – this included numerous other buses, large four-wheel drive vehicles and even a police car.

Not only is it a hazard, say residents, but it’s making their lives a misery.

“There are around a dozen double-decker buses coming in and out in the morning and in the evening. The narrow medieval roads get gridlocked, they weren’t intended for this traffic. Just last week there a collision and there’s a lot of road rage,” said Mr Morgan.

“My partner Ellen’s mum lived with us until she passed away recently; she had motor neurone and there were times when she’d be in her wheelchair on the pavement and find a vehicle coming towards her.

“We have complained to the council, but were basically told ‘there have been no fatalities and therefore you’re not a priority’. So you’ve got to wait for someone to be killed before we’ll do anything.”

Lawyer Mr Morgan added: “The authorities concerned have a legal and moral duty to get something done.”

Complaints involving individual incidents over the years have come to nothing.

Two years ago the Herald reported on the case of Stratford Girls’ Grammar School pupil Emma Hannaford, then 12, who was left badly shaken after she was pinned to a wall by the Bell pub after a bus took a tight corner badly.

Even though it is illegal to drive on the pavements, nothing appears to be deterring drivers from doing so in Shottery, which is used as a cut-through to the town centre on top of all the school traffic.

As we talked to the assembled group of residents this week, dad Peter Smart walked cautiously down the pavement with his four-year-old daughter Eva, a reception class pupil at Holy Trinity School.

Making their way to and from school from their Hathaway Lane home felt dangerous at times, Mr Smart told the Herald.

“There is a huge amount of traffic, it feels especially dangerous when Shottery girls are being dropped off,” he said. “Cars mount pavements, no one seems to know who has the right of way so cars push through without waiting. It’s hard to even cross the road.”

Other residents spoke of feeling trapped in their homes as their lives are blighted by traffic.

Mr Morgan said: “We consider that it is long overdue for those causing or contributing to these severe problems for others who actually live in the locality, and for those whose responsibility it is as elected officials to take effective action to eliminate or mitigate these issues, to engage properly with our membership and actively seek a solution.”

He continued: “These are matters which we believe no responsible elected official should tolerate without any effective attempt to ameliorate the issues. We consider that the responsible authorities have both a legal duty and a moral responsibility to remove these dangers from our area. These issues put our residents and visitors in danger, seriously erode our ability to enjoy our properties, and have a significant adverse impact upon the value and salability of our homes.”

Although the residents are hopeful that when the new road linking the Evesham and Alcester roads through the new housing development might relieve some of traffic, they are demanding further positive action be taken.

High on their action list is the call for an independent report to be commissioned on the situation.

Mr Morgan explained: “In the course of our investigation of available remedies, we have met with representatives of Berkswell Parish Council [near Coventry] who faced similar traffic problems in their village. They were able to prevail upon the relevant local authorities to fund an independent survey and report by independent expert traffic consultants Arup, and also able to access the necessary funding to implement the recommendations of the Arup report in terms of alterations to road and footpath layouts and physical infrastructure to combat their traffic problems. We are seeking to follow that template to achieve a similar outcome in North Shottery.”

The residents want Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) paid by developers such as Bloor Homes for the Shottery development to be spent on the report, and point out that the town council are currently due £95,000 in CIL money.

They would also like to see schools in the area negotiate with families and bus companies to drop pupils within walking distance of schools, particularly the girls’ grammar.

The Herald is awaiting response from the county council highways team on the issues put to them.