Call for urgent action at Telford junction 'before someone is killed'

People living in Lawley Village say a change is desperately needed at its traffic lights. It comes after another two-car accident at the junction on Monday.

Although no-one was seriously injured in the collision, residents say they have seen more than 30 at the lights in just over three years and say it is only a matter of time before it leads to a fatality.

The residents say there are problems with the lights on Lawley Drive and at the joins with Pepper Mill and Greshman Drive, where the new shopping centre is.

Gordon Tranter, 43, has lived in Lawley all his life, he says that there was no problem previously at Lawley Drive when it had a roundabout.

He said he has even contacted Telford MP Lucy Allan about the problem.

He said: "The lights here are very badly designed.

"The way things are going it is only a matter of time before someone has killed."

And other residents agree, but add that there is also a problem with drivers going too fast or not reading the junction correctly.

Richard Lee-Williams lives on Turold Mews which runs parallel to Lawley Drive and Birchfield way.

He said: "My opinion is that all junctions and cross roads in the area should be converted to box junctions.

"I've lost count of the amount of times I've been blocked from turning right out of Birchfield Way by Greggs because people queuing to turn right off Pepper Mill onto Lawley Drive have blocked the gap at that junction.

"This also happens from Lawley Drive into Pepper Mill on a regular basis."

But he says the problem is not necessarily just with the junction but with the drivers who speed down Lawley Drive.

He said: "I see - and hear it. I frequently get woken by boy racers or motor bike riders ragging up the road.

Explore the junction on StreetView:

"It's a drag race to and from that roundabout for a lot of drivers, people clearly drive faster than the 30mph limit on Pepper Mill and it's a straight race for most down Lawley Drive too.

"The problem isn't the road, it's drivers who are impatient and have a complete disregard for theirs and other people's safety and are arrogant.

"There are also those who have a lack of awareness, who don't pay attention to what the lights are doing.

"That isn't a problem limited to these few junctions and roads, you see it all over Telford and the surrounding areas.

"With the new Lawley Village Primary Academy it must only be a matter of time before a child is killed or seriously injured; in addition to my suggestion that the junctions should be converted to box junctions, I call for average speed cameras to be installed down Lawley Drive all the way down to the motorway and for cameras to be installed at the lights to catch people who jump the lights and don't adhere to the box junctions. This would at least give us a fighting chance of getting these idiots off the road and help keep our children safe."

Residents say the junction is a big problem, particularly as Lawley Village is still growing, with building of new houses continuing.

Darren Perrins added: "Having lived in Lawley since 2004 I have seen first hand the problems the have arisen in the area.

"Some are planning or layout related, however the biggest danger is lack of knowledge of the highway code.

"I know for an absolute fact that at some point I will be involved in a collision at the lights by the Grazing Cow. I say this because at least on a weekly basis sometimes it can be daily, people coming from the doctors surgery cut straight across the traffic coming from Morrisons that is turning left or going straight over, ignoring the fact that the oncoming vehicles have right of way.

"You'll find that almost every accident in Lawley has happened here at these lights and under those circumstances."

Telford & Wrekin Council says it is aware of the concerns of residents and is looking into the problem.

Chris Kowalik, a council spokesman said: "We are currently liaising with the police to understand the cause of Monday's accident.

"We are aware of the concerns in relation to the traffic lights at Lawley. We have taken steps to improve the co-ordination of the lights, however we are currently reviewing this to determine whether any further improvements to the signing and lining can be made."