Lane to reopen amid safety fears

Buy photos » Residents have complained of near misses due to the lane closure on the ringway. 36012034ncr2

ACTION could be taken as early as next week to reopen a lane on the Redditch Ringway after a flood of complaints by residents.

The right hand lane was coned off after a severe storm in July caused a 20-metre section of the wall between Staples and the road to collapse.

Since then the lane has remained shut for health and safety reasons on the insistence of the insurance company of the owner’s of the car park which is attached to the wall.

But there are no signs warning drivers the lane off the St Georges roundabout is closed despite numerous complaints from motorists about near misses due to drivers suddenly cutting in front of them.

Lee Price, from Smallwood, said: “The right hand lane being closed is a real inconvenience and potentially dangerous. Driving onto this lane everyday from the highway and roundabout, I am often witnessing vehicles trying to merge onto the middle lane from different directions.

“Many times I have had to brake and seen other vehicles taking evasive action to avoid a bump.”

But there is hope the cones will be removed this week and work carried out to restore the wall or make it safe.

A spokeswoman for Staples said they were currently liaising with the management company to ensure work could start, but could not confirm a date.

Coun Brandon Clayton, responsible for the town centre on Worcestershire County Council, said: “We want the lane cleared and back up and running as soon as possible.

“We have had numerous complaints and the only way we looked at was putting cones around the island, but then the three lanes of the Coventry Highway would go down to two and cause even more difficulties turning left.

“We are waiting to hear off the insurance company this week and we hope they will say work will begin on it to make it safe or they will rebuild the wall.”

Jon Fraser, Worcestershire County Council’s customer and community manager for highways, said the cones were an immediate action to ensure motorists were safe and he expects work on the wall to take place soon.

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