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by Lib Dem team on 20 December, 2011
Councillors have agreed to install new signs around the chicanes on St Ann’s Road North in Heald Green and Gatley.
The signs will bring the chicanes up to the latest modern standards and hopefully will reduce the instances of motorists trying to run the chicanes – dashing through when there really isn’t the time to do it and risking a head-on collision with oncoming traffic.
6 Comments
they are still dangerous, even with signs – silliest things ever designed, that road is a disaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaster dahling !!!!
I’m with Jean. Any supposed road safety measure that deliberately puts you on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic is crackpot.
The chicanes were put in a while back (around 1995 I think) specifically so traffic could be slowed without the ambulances for St Ann’s Hospice having to go over full speedhumps – I don’t know whether the same approach would be taken if it were done today.
Having said that, chicanes continue to be installed around the country and – as far as I know – have a good safety record and successfully slow down traffic.
According to Wikipedia (not perfect, I know) chicanes reduce injury accidents by around 54%.
Chicanes in other areas often show priorities for a direction – which signal who has right of way. In addition it may help if the chicanes alternated left/right etc. A particular problem is the proximity of two chicanes to the Brown Lane junction causing hold-ups at busy times.
Good points David,
The proposed new signs are the ones that show priority.
I don’t know why the chicanes were laid out in the way they were back when they were first put in, but rebuilding new chicanes isn’t a part of this plan.
As far as I remember, the chicanes were put there because it was a bus route used by the ” busy bee little bus” which were around at the time, I have used this road since 1985 and it is only since the stupid chicanes were put there that the road has become dangerous, I have actually seen cars go to the left of the chicane through the gap and the pavement…… !!!!