Dear Editor,
While I welcome the long-overdue decision to install a toucan crossing at the Peacock roundabout — a notoriously busy junction with fast-moving traffic — I am completely baffled as to why this relatively straightforward piece of work is expected to take up to five weeks.
The irony of the situation is hard to ignore. The very spot where the toucan crossing is being built is currently closed to pedestrians for the duration of the works.
As a result, anyone on foot travelling between Crewe and Nantwich is forced to cross the road four times each way just to get around the closure.
For a scheme supposedly designed to improve safety, this feels like a step backwards.
Cheshire East Council says the daytime closure of the A51 Nantwich Bypass — between 9.30am and 3.30pm on weekdays — is necessary to allow for safety improvements.
These include the new signal-controlled toucan crossing, upgraded street lighting, a reduced speed limit on the approach to the roundabout, along with new signage, road markings, and improvements to footways and cycleways.
Motorists are being warned to expect delays, with diversion routes in place, and the council has advised drivers to plan their journeys accordingly.
However, five weeks of disruption on a major Cheshire route seems excessive for work of this nature, particularly given the knock-on effects for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
There are also growing concerns about the impact on heavy goods vehicles, many of which are already being diverted along this route due to the weight restriction currently in place at Baddington Bridge on the A530.
Adding further congestion into the mix feels poorly timed and poorly thought through.
No one is disputing the need for improved safety at Peacock roundabout.
What is being questioned is why it should take so long — and why pedestrians appear to be bearing the brunt of the inconvenience in the meantime.
Yours faithfully,
Jonathan White
Wistaston
I agree with Joe about speeding motorist, but also the deterioration of the road surface now Colleys Lane is closed to HGV’s and in their frustration a lot of driver’s are now taking to driving on the grass verges rather than give way. I see a large repair bill for Church Lane and Wistaston Green Road. God only knows what’s happening under our little bridges. Surely there is a weight restriction.
It would be interesting to know how many site visits occurred to see the issues. I suspect Google maps played a large role in the design.
Perhaps it would be better to talk about the alternative routes that have been put in place whilst the works are taking place HGVs Coaches and speeding cars travelling along colleys lane and wistaston green road all exceeding the 30mph limit
Maybe just maybe they gave the contract to install the crossing to the same group that did the one on sydney road in crewe
That took weeks to complete and the even more weeks to install the wiring that was somehow overlooked on the initial install 🤔
The main danger on this roundabout is for motorists, not pedestrians, as can be seen from the number of accidents which have occurred here. This could be easily solved at minimal expense by proper road markings on the approaches to, and on, the roundabout itself guiding motorists, many of whom appear to have little idea about rights of way on roundabouts. The main danger to pedestrians is from vehicles turning left when approaching from Nantwich which could also be managed by better carriageway markings. As for the time taken for the current works to be done did anybody expect Cheshire East to do any better given their performance on a day to day basis on the roads around Crewe and Nantwich.