A businessman has fought for four years to change the layout of a busy junction after witnessing dozens of crashes.
Chad Ridley, General Manager of Vertu Honda, has raised concerns about the number of accidents which occur next to his dealership at the junction between Violet Close and Scotswood Road in Newcastle. The 40-year-old has been sending pictures of the collisions to Newcastle City Council to encourage them to make changes to the road.
However he says the local authority has told him that the annual funding for highways schemes has been cut over a number of years and they prioritise roads on a "worst-first basis". They told him, in November last year, that the junction was number 29 on the hot spot list and they did not have any plans to make changes at the location.
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Chad, who lives in the Kingston Bank Foot area of the city, said he has continued to email them images of collisions which have occurred at the junction and has invited them to the dealership for a coffee so he can explain the issue. He said they have not responded to him since November last year.
He said: "It's annoying, I don't even get an acknowledgement anymore. You hear the big bang and you know what it is straight away. I don't think they will change the junction until there's a death.
"There's a crash every three to four months. I'm worried about my customers and my colleagues as well. We have got 30 staff here and we use that junction all day.
"I just want the council to change the layout. 300 yards down the road they have got the correct traffic system - how it should be. I have told them that every time there's a serious accident I will email them.
"I have offered them the chance to come to the dealership for a coffee so I can show them how dangerous it is but they haven't been to see me. I can't do anything more than what I'm doing."
Chad said the junction has been a long-standing safety concern due to drivers’ view of oncoming traffic being obstructed when they try to turn right towards the Honda garage. He said they have to edge out dangerously without being able to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction.
He has been calling for a filter lane to be installed so that the turn can only be made when all other traffic is stopped. However the council has told him that other danger zones in the city need to be addressed first.
In an email sent earlier this year, Chad, who has worked at the dealership since 2012, told the council: "Something really needs to be done at this junction ASAP before someone is killed and I will not give up on my quest so I can ensure my colleagues and customers are not put into danger!"
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council told Chronicle Live: "We’re putting in place measures to improve road safety across the city on major routes, in residential areas and on streets around schools. We want our city’s roads to be safe for everyone to use, however they travel.
"We regularly review road safety across our network to help us understand where improvements are needed and as part of this we are looking at what changes could be made at this particular junction."
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