Council told that ‘reckless Essex drivers’ are making roundabout too dangerous
Essex County Council has heard that the dangers of a roundabout handling heavy traffic from the new garden community in Chelmsford are being worsened by “a very Essex specialty” – drivers failing to use their indicators.
The problems
Essex County Council has heard that the risks posed by a roundabout managing high traffic volumes from Chelmsford’s new garden community are being exacerbated by “a very Essex specialty” – drivers failing to use their indicators. Retrospective approval has been granted for a facility at Regiment Business Park to operate as a metal recycling site. However, concerns were raised at an Essex County Council meeting regarding the roundabout managing traffic from Essex Regiment Way, the newly developed shops at Regiment Business Park, and vehicles coming off Channels Drive, marking the area as a potential danger zone.
Particular attention was drawn to drivers’ behavior, with one councillor highlighting the “very Essex specialty” of not signaling on roundabouts. These issues came under discussion at an Essex County Council Development and Regulation Committee meeting on Friday, where the application for retrospective approval of the waste recycling center off Essex Regiment Way was also considered.
Why is it dangerous
The council heard that two traffic streams converge at the roundabout – one continuing straight along Essex Regiment Way to the opposite side, while a second nearby lane can be used either to access the site’s entrance or to proceed onto Channels Drive, where the housing development is expected to expand to thousands of homes.
Councillor Lynette Bowers-Flint stated, “It’s a hazardous roundabout. We have plenty of those in Essex. I believe we must also consider that many of the accidents on these roundabouts result from driver error and a failure to indicate.”
“And while it’s good that highways are reviewing it, much of the issue comes down to drivers. You can already see it on that roundabout—people just don’t indicate where they’re actually turning, and that doesn’t help at all. But it’s an Essex thing.”
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