Regrettably, there isn’t enough information provided by the developer to allow us to support or object to the specific proposal at this stage. There are plenty of technical aspects that will have a direct impact on safety at the junction that we’re working through and will update this site with shortly. A number of things we’re sure of is that the capacity assessments of the future junction are technically unsound;
- asserting the the junction is a roundabout! ( honestly ),
- defying the laws of mathematics in one of their key explanations
- the Inspector Ahmm… forgetting all of the evidence presented about the right turn being the cause of issues at the junction
- the developers new Transport people AECOM, ignoring the complete shambles of the prior technical work for the junction.
We’ll pop more of a reasoned argument online shortly, however something you can do right now if you’d like to make a start is to ask the council;
The Road Safety Audit states that vehicles can not undertake all manoeuvres at the junction efficiently and safely and therefore collisions with other road users may occur and that there is potential for pedestrian strikes at the crossing point on Meadow Lane leading to injuries. The safety audit recommendation is;
“It is recommended that the right turn harbourage is extended on Longton Road to ensure vehicles can safely enter without overhanging the opposing running lane. It is also recommended that the eastern kerb line is amended to provide a greater radius for vehicles to exit Meadow Lane in the correct lane and reduce the risk of a vehicle overrunning the pedestrian crossing point.”
However as these recommendations will be difficult to put right for various reasons, we are not surprised that the developers have not put forward a corresponding Designer’s Response. BUT this is a requirement and the Council have to sign it off.
So, if you write the council asking for them to publish in plenty of time for you to make an informed decision, the designer’s response to the RSA, particularly on 4.2.1 “Basic Design Principles”, as they apply to the approved and proposed layout.
You can register your objection to the scheme until the Designer’s Response is published, and reserve the right to remove your objection if they manage to solve the issue.
Keep our Meadow Green 
Just attached a letter sent to the planning office today and have put expanded comments on the council website. Hope we get some joy this time! Mary Hughes
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