New scheme makes Leamington road safer
Warwickshire County Council is implementing a casualty reduction road safety scheme on a Leamington Spa street as part of its continual improvement of safety on the county’s roads.
Warwick Street in Leamington Spa has been identified as having a significant history of personal injury collisions with 23 crashes in the last five years including pedestrian accidents, junction and shunt collisions.
Warwick Street is a very busy part of town with a high number of pedestrian and vehicle movements. The aim of the scheme is to help improve reaction times and the severity of collisions should they occur, especially for more vulnerable road users.
The scheme will include introducing a 20 mph zone on Warwick Street alongside the existing 20 zone along The Parade, traffic calming by raising sections of road and installing speed cushions and improving pedestrian crossing facilities outside of the Royal Priors northern entrance.
A full consultation was undertaken in May 2010 with formal consultation in December 2010. The works commence at the end of March 2011 and will take one month to complete.
County council Road Safety Engineer Lee Williams is leading the project, he said: “We have been working hard with the community to provide a scheme which suits the aesthetics of a Spa town whilst addressing the high number of collisions occurring along Warwick Street.
“We have also ensured that the scheme can be adapted further in the future should further needs be identified in the area. The scheme will result in minimal changes to parking bays and loading areas.”
Warwickshire County Councillors for Leamington North, Sarah Boad and Eithne Goode both support and welcome the improvements:
Cllr Boad said “We are delighted to see that the Road Safety Engineering team have investigated Warwick Street and we look forward to seeing a big improvement in the reduction of accidents along this section of highway.”
Warwickshire County Council’s Road Safety Unit will continue to monitor the scheme after implementation. The Road Safety Unit’s main aim is to reduce the number of people killed and injured on Warwickshire’s Roads.
A full plan of the scheme can be found by visiting: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety