Paignton petition against accident blackspot

Demand to "Make Brixham Road Safer"

A petition aimed at cutting down crashes at a Paignton accident blackspot has been presented to Torbay Council.

The new crossroads near the Aldi store on Brixham Road has been the scene of a number of serious crashes. The most recent saw a motorcyclist airlifted to hospital after colliding with a car.

Other crashes at the junction have resulted in injuries, with cars badly damaged and street furniture wrecked.

Now the ‘Make Brixham Road Safer’ petition will be noted by the council.

The traffic light-controlled crossroads was created to serve the Aldi and Greggs stores and a pharmaceutical factory along with a new development of homes off the ring road, but residents living nearby say the number of accidents means action is needed.

Brixham Road, Wilkins Drive and Roselands Drive meet at the lights, and residents want a signal lane at the right turn into Roselands Drive and new signs warning drivers of oncoming traffic and calling for them to slow down.

They also want speed cameras on Brixham Road to encourage drivers to keep to the 40mph limit.

The petition, which has 31 signatures, says: “There have been multiple accidents at this junction as a result of people turning right off Brixham Road onto Roselands Drive. Currently there is no filter lane or signalling to allow drivers to do this safely, and as a result drivers have to drift out into the middle section of the junction and wait for clear traffic before cutting across.

“Compounding this issue is the speed at which people head up Brixham Road towards this junction from the lights at Sainsbury’s.”

And, says the petition, the crashes are not only dangerous to the drivers concerned, but are also traumatic for the those who witness them, potentially dangerous for people waiting at pedestrian crossings or walking along the pavement.

Recent crashes have also caused major disruption to traffic using the busy ring road.