Mum fears parking on danger road where motorists 'ignore red lights'

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Deborah Monroe started a petition for traffic calming measures on Hartshill Road (Image: Stoke Sentinel/BPM Media)
Deborah Monroe started a petition for traffic calming measures on Hartshill Road (Image: Stoke Sentinel/BPM Media)

A mum fears parking on a danger road where motorists "ignore red lights".

Deborah Monroe insists 'countless' collisions have happened on the busy road outside her home. Figures show they have already cost the public purse £1.8 million. The figure covers collisions between 2017-2021 and is based on calculations from the Department for Transport.

The report includes costs of emergency services, clean-ups, potential loss of earnings and other variables. Deborah has lived on Hartshill Road for two years with her four-year-old daughter, and has witnessed "countless" collisions, she said.

She said reckless drivers have left her scared to park outside her own home. The 30-year-old launched a petition in July which has gathered 116 signatures.

Deborah, who works as a housekeeper, told StokeonTrentLive: “From the data, the cost of collisions is £1.8million. Surely it’s cheaper to put in the safety measures then pay to clean up the mess afterwards. When I open my door, I’m five steps away from the road. I can’t park outside my house as it’s not safe for my daughter to get out of the car.

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“Cars drive through the lights when they’re red. This is my biggest concern. How can I teach my child how to cross the road safely in those circumstances? The whole time I’ve lived here it’s been an issue. The amount of times I’ve had a near miss with my child has become alarming.

“There’s a school nearby, a nursery, bars, community shops - it’s like a mini town here. I don’t think it should take so many people to be run over before they do something.” Now the petition has closed, the mum is in talks with Stoke-on-Trent City Council over future improvements to the road.

Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for environment and enforcement, said: "Stoke-on-Trent City Council officers and the ward councillor met Ms Monroe at Hartshill Road earlier this week. We listened to concerns raised by residents and talked through initial proposals to improve roadside signage and the introduction of road markings.

"These will raise driver awareness of the location for the pedestrian crossing near to The Noah's Public House and the need for drivers to slow down and drive through the area with extra caution. It is important to note that the £1.8m figure relates to all collisions over a five-year period - 2017 to 2021 - as well as any other known data to date.

Mum fears parking on danger road where motorists 'ignore red lights' (Stoke Sentinel/BPM Media)

"This figure is also based on Department for Transport calculations on how much an individual collision costs society as a whole. This takes into account responses from emergency services, should they be required, clean-up costs, and a whole host of variables such as the potential loss of earnings to parties involved.

"It is not a cost incurred by the city council; it is an indicative value only. Further discussions are taking place as to what additional improvements can be made on the road."

Graeme Murray

Department for Transport, Police, Road Traffic Accidents

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