Thank you for your request for information.
We have completed the search of our records and I can confirm the
following;
Accidents involving personal injury that are recorded within the County
are constantly monitored and sites where a high incidence of accidents is
recorded are identified and investigated. Where common factors are
identified that can be treated, remedial measures are introduced.
The junction of the A34, Cannock Road, with Wildwood Ringway, was
identified as a site for further investigation as 6 personal injury
accidents (all slight) were recorded during the three year period from 1
April 2007 to 31 March 2010 (the latest period that records were complete
at the time). When investigations were carried out, it was noted that
four of the six accidents recorded involved vehicles emerging from
Wildwood Ringway. All of these involved vehicles making the right turn and
being hit by westbound vehicles on Cannock Road.
Although visibility to the right for vehicles emerging is good, the
presence of the diverging taper could make it difficult for drivers
exiting Wildwood Ringway. Vehicles occupying the nearside taper could
obscure vehicles that are travelling ahead at the junction and also make
it difficult for drivers exiting Wildwood Ringway to discern the speed of
approaching vehicles that are travelling ahead at the junction. The right
turn manoeuvre from Wildwood Ringway was further complicated by the
presence of the right turning lane on Cannock Road which accommodates
traffic turning right into Wildwood Ringway. In effect, vehicles exiting
Wildwood Ringway and turning right were required to negotiate/anticipate
four lanes of traffic on Cannock Road.
Department for Transport design guidelines state that diverging tapers and
merging tapers shall not be provided at simple junctions such as this. It
was therefore decided to simplify the junction by hatching out the
diverging and merging tapers. Additional direction arrows and slow
markings were also provided. Although the accidents recorded were
associated with the diverging taper it was decided that the merging taper
should also be hatched out to provide a coherent scheme that complied with
the guidelines.
Following implementation of the scheme, a number of requests were received
from members of the public for the hatching to be removed. As a result of
these requests, the scheme was reassessed. The markings within the
merging taper were provided for consistency. As the accidents recorded
were associated with the diverging taper, it was decided that the hatching
within the merging taper should be removed.
Although still awaiting the actual costs for implementing this local
safety scheme, it is estimated they will be in the region of
£500-£1,000, and no more than £500 for the lines that were
removed. This is considered exceptional value for money if just one
accident is prevented.