Calderdale Council
Local Authority / Fire Service
Action Planned
Calderdale Council is undertaking a feasibility study to assess options for improving safety at the Carr House Road/Cooper Lane junction, with a preferred scheme option expected by the end of March 2020 for delivery during the 2020/21 financial year. The study will consider traffic calming, junction improvements, and pedestrian crossing points. (AI summary)
View full response
Dear Mr Longstaff, Re: Prevention of Future Deaths Report - 3283-2016 I write on behalf of Calderdale Council Highways in response to the above report which was issued on 26th July 2019 but which was only received by this department on 7th October
2019. The report concerns a fatal road traffic collision that occurred at the junction of Carr House Road and Cooper Lane, Shelf on 20th December 2016. 1 note from your report that neither the junction layout nor the condition of the highway were found to be contributory factors in this collision. Nevertheless you have raised concerns with regard to the number of road traffic collisions that have occurred in recent years at this junction and at the adjacent junction of Carr House Lane and Cooper Lane. You also refer to concerns about the safety of these junctions as expressed by local residents and safety campaigners. Calderdale Council takes its road safety duties very seriously. The Council regularly reviews records of road traffic collisions across the highway network as provided through the STATS19 process which records all injury accidents reported to the police. These records help to shape the Council’s annual road safety engineering programme. Whilst the two junctions that are the subject of this report are immediately adjacent our records show that they have significantly different collision records. The junction of Carr House Road and Cooper Lane is a priority give way T-junction. Over the 5-year period between 2014 and 2018 inclusive this junction has seen 3 reported injury collisions including the fatal collision which is the subject of your report. The other collisions recorded are as follows:
• 2014-1 serious injury resulting from the collision between a motorcycle and a right- turning van; A* Assistant Director Strategic Infrastructure INVESTOR IN PEOPLE
• 2015 - 1 slight injury resulting from the collision between a bicycle and a right- turning car. To date there are no recorded collisions during 2019. Having reviewed the circumstances set out within the records Calderdale Council Highways have concluded that the layout of the junction is not a contributory factor in these collisions and therefore no further action is planned. The adjacent junction of Carr House Lane and Cooper Lane is a mini-roundabout. Over the same time period this has seen a significantly higher level of 12 reported injury collisions of which 2 were serious and 10 slight. All 12 collisions involved vehicles entering the roundabout and colliding with circulating traffic. The number of incidents peaked during 2017 with a total of 6 recorded injury collisions. Following a review of this junction a revised package of signing and lining was implemented during financial year 2017/18. This includes more robust, textured lining and rumble strips on each arm with the aim of ensuring that drivers approach at a safe speed and give way to vehicles already on the roundabout. The number of reported injury collisions at this junction reduced to 2 slight injuries during 2018 which suggests that the intervention has had some impact. However we are aware that there continue to be incidents at this location and as a result a project brief was issued in May this year (attached) with a view to implementing an improvement scheme as part of the Council’s Local Transport Plan programme for 2020/21. Whilst our previous review was limited to the immediate extents of the junction within the highway boundary this new review will consider whether there is a need for additional land to be taken from neighbouring properties and will also consider potential changes to traffic flows across a wider area. At present I am unable to anticipate the outcome of this review or give any further certainty as to when any resulting improvement scheme would be implemented.
2019. The report concerns a fatal road traffic collision that occurred at the junction of Carr House Road and Cooper Lane, Shelf on 20th December 2016. 1 note from your report that neither the junction layout nor the condition of the highway were found to be contributory factors in this collision. Nevertheless you have raised concerns with regard to the number of road traffic collisions that have occurred in recent years at this junction and at the adjacent junction of Carr House Lane and Cooper Lane. You also refer to concerns about the safety of these junctions as expressed by local residents and safety campaigners. Calderdale Council takes its road safety duties very seriously. The Council regularly reviews records of road traffic collisions across the highway network as provided through the STATS19 process which records all injury accidents reported to the police. These records help to shape the Council’s annual road safety engineering programme. Whilst the two junctions that are the subject of this report are immediately adjacent our records show that they have significantly different collision records. The junction of Carr House Road and Cooper Lane is a priority give way T-junction. Over the 5-year period between 2014 and 2018 inclusive this junction has seen 3 reported injury collisions including the fatal collision which is the subject of your report. The other collisions recorded are as follows:
• 2014-1 serious injury resulting from the collision between a motorcycle and a right- turning van; A* Assistant Director Strategic Infrastructure INVESTOR IN PEOPLE
• 2015 - 1 slight injury resulting from the collision between a bicycle and a right- turning car. To date there are no recorded collisions during 2019. Having reviewed the circumstances set out within the records Calderdale Council Highways have concluded that the layout of the junction is not a contributory factor in these collisions and therefore no further action is planned. The adjacent junction of Carr House Lane and Cooper Lane is a mini-roundabout. Over the same time period this has seen a significantly higher level of 12 reported injury collisions of which 2 were serious and 10 slight. All 12 collisions involved vehicles entering the roundabout and colliding with circulating traffic. The number of incidents peaked during 2017 with a total of 6 recorded injury collisions. Following a review of this junction a revised package of signing and lining was implemented during financial year 2017/18. This includes more robust, textured lining and rumble strips on each arm with the aim of ensuring that drivers approach at a safe speed and give way to vehicles already on the roundabout. The number of reported injury collisions at this junction reduced to 2 slight injuries during 2018 which suggests that the intervention has had some impact. However we are aware that there continue to be incidents at this location and as a result a project brief was issued in May this year (attached) with a view to implementing an improvement scheme as part of the Council’s Local Transport Plan programme for 2020/21. Whilst our previous review was limited to the immediate extents of the junction within the highway boundary this new review will consider whether there is a need for additional land to be taken from neighbouring properties and will also consider potential changes to traffic flows across a wider area. At present I am unable to anticipate the outcome of this review or give any further certainty as to when any resulting improvement scheme would be implemented.