Following contact from residents over the past two years I raised additional concerns recently with the council's highways department about motorists deliberately driving on the wrong side of the road when passing through the new roundabout on the B1281 in Blackhall Colliery.
I've also forwarded residents' reports of vehicles exceeding the speed limit when passing through the roundabout to the police for their attention, with one report suggesting that drivers are attempting to negotiate the roundabout at speeds of at least 60mph.
In response the council has provided an update on works carried out recently by the developer:
Further to [previous correspondence] I have now had some feedback from other officers and the developer themselves.
Issues relating to traffic speed, inter alia, have been address previously and, rather than reiterate, I have attached my previous comments**
I am advised that the lighting works should be finished imminently, perhaps as early as today, and that some associated landscaping work should be completed shortly thereafter.
One of the issues raised in the Road Safety Audit was relating to the signage approaching the roundabouts, including its size and conspicuousness, again this is referenced in the [previous comments].
Following clarification by our Traffic Assets officers the developer has been asked to increase the size of the signage and relocate to accord with DfT guidelines.
I am pleased to advise that they have agreed to this and will action at the earliest opportunity.
Hopefully, this will conclude matters, not only in terms of construction but also in alerting motorists to the presence of the roundabout, although I should add that the driving behaviour of some motorists is something that cannot be mitigated against however hard we try.
I hope the above answers your enquiries, however, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need further clarification/advice.
**These comments were included in a previous article published on these pages on Thursday 16 November 2023: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/11/highways-inspectors-update-on-concerns.html
