Howard Rd, Walkley, accident blackspot

[taxman]

Walking past Saccomando's Garage last night I noticed those "slippery surface" warning signs on the pavements and also notices that had been put up by the garage. There have been 5 accidents this week alone that have resulted in cars leaving the road and mounting the pavement. A wall has been partially knocked down as a result.

 

The notices were warning pedestrians to be alert to the possibility of cars hitting them.

 

The bend is not a sharp one, it isn't a hairpin so why do car drivers continually lose control there? Surely if drivers cannot negotiate a simple, gentle curve they shouldn't be on the road full stop.

[Daven]

http://uk.mapaworld.com/street-view/howard-road-sheffield-south-yorkshire-s-ga-uk.html

 

Excessive speed maybe ?

[purplestar13]

Walking past Saccomando's Garage last night I noticed those "slippery surface" warning signs on the pavements and also notices that had been put up by the garage. There have been 5 accidents this week alone that have resulted in cars leaving the road and mounting the pavement. A wall has been partially knocked down as a result.

 

The notices were warning pedestrians to be alert to the possibility of cars hitting them.

 

The bend is not a sharp one, it isn't a hairpin so why do car drivers continually lose control there? Surely if drivers cannot negotiate a simple, gentle curve they shouldn't be on the road full stop.

 

I noticed this. I was surprised there had been 5 accidents this week alone and I hadn't known. I did see that wall knocked down yesterday evening though. Pretty sure it wasn't there when I went past in the morning.

 

It's easy to build up speed when you're coming from the Walkley end as you have had to speed up to get up the hill (particularly if you have a ancient small engined car like me) but still, you should then slow down for the bend.

 

Would some of those chevrons on the wall help warn people they are approaching a bend?

[Eater Sundae]

What are pedestrians supposed to do?

 

Have there been occasional crashes in the past and this is just a blip in the frequency, or has it been safe in the past and these current accidents are an indication of a change in circumstances.

 

If it could be down to an unusually slippery surface (deterioration? contamination?) then it must be checked and if necessary resurfaced as soon as possible. Meanwhile, maybe a temporary speed limit should be set up, with a lot of temporary warning signs as to why it has been set up.

[morecamberox]

The road has been resurfaced there in the last couple of years- it's really pretty good.

 

There are a few of reasons for accidents here I can think of:

 

The long straight along South Road encourages the boy racers and their ilk to put their feet down, and then they come a-cropper on the tight bend there- I've seen it happen;

 

The entrance to the Buddhist Centre is right on the bend, and can't be seen until the last moment (although there is usually minimal traffic through that entrance);

 

The junction where Heavygate Road joins Howard Road is very steep, a tight turn and partially obscured- although there is no entry into Heavygate Road at this point, many accidents have happened here.

 

Save a major restructuring of this stretch of road, which really isn't feasible, there should at least be clear warning signs installed regarding these hazards.

[medusa]

There are multiple hazards on Howard Road and South Road including lots of turns to both sides, some of them (like Fir Street) being completely blind on exit onto South Road, even without the (sometimes very interesting) parking that can obscure all sorts of things, including oncoming double decker buses in the middle of the road.

 

The very odd angle of some of the turns which add to the mix, like the one way exit of Heavygate Road onto the big turn of Howard Road into Commonside and the entrance to the St Joseph's where the cars are invisible to passing traffic as they come up the driveway until they are right on the main carriageway and their visibility is severely limited too. If you look on Google Earth street view, the corner of their wall has clearly been demolished and rebuilt a number of times.

 

I crossed the road by Saccomando's earlier on this week with my niece and nephew, and it really is a difficult spot. I can't walk fast at the best of times, but I really wouldn't want to do the crossing with children any smaller than our two because they just couldn't cross quickly enough to be sure to be safe.

[WalkleyIan]

It was Tuesday night. Was cycling back from a meeting just after 10pm and they had just pulled it out of the wall. Paramedics had just arrived . Conditions were wet but not too bad. Didn't see any other vehicle involved .

 

I don't know about 5 this week but its that's the 3rd car I've seen being pulled out of a wall on that bend this year. The last two were in the huge wall that holds up the embankment with the church / Buddhist centre. It actually drains a little better up there since the road was resurfaced although there can be a lot of standing water as any pedestrian who has been drenched by a car will know

 

If you take the section from Fulton Rd though to PA Jewellers I've lost count of the number of crashes I've seen there over the years. The junctions were altered significantly on Commonside when the ped crossing went in , and there is a whole load of red warning paint and chevrons but you still get drivers speeding over the blind brow in either direction.

[John_S6]

I drive on there most days and never had a problem. The only occasional hazard seems to be when cars are parked up on the road outside the garage.

 

Any accident is definitely a case of the driver being dangerous, rather than the road.

[cafelady]

As a pedestrian, I dice with death most days on that road, 12 years to & from work & 21 years to & from my partner's home. The tangled junctions were never designed for car traffic. I've seen two accidents, & I know that a woman was killed crossing the road at Commonside.

 

If twenty's-plenty for the side roads then can't we have twenty's-plenty for a notoriously dangerous but very beautiful switch-back? Keep your eyes in the back of your head if on foot, try a new route on the bike or just don't be walking to school, an OAP or someone with a disability.

 

What about better signage & a reduced speed limit? Oh, & all car drivers should indicate ....

Edited April 5, 2015 by cafelady
missed the point that I walk

[chocki]

I drive on there most days and never had a problem. The only occasional hazard seems to be when cars are parked up on the road outside the garage.

 

Any accident is definitely a case of the driver being dangerous, rather than the road.

 

Where's the like button?