Junction is dangerous

11:00am Thursday 27th November 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

THANK you for featuring the recent article on the dangerous junction at the Merrie Harrier (Penarth Times, November 20).

My car was written off in a collision at that junction in September.

The following is a letter I have sent to the Vale Council asking them to consider changes to the site.

Re: Merrie Harrier Road Junction I AM writing this letter having read the front page article of the Penarth Times (November 20) regarding the recently 'improved' road junction at the Merrie Harrier.

I would like to add my voice to those who have noticed that these changes have made the junction incredibly dangerous for those turning right from Barry Road onto Penlan Road.

I am aware of at least one major incident involving this turning that required the attendance of emergency services, and my own car was written off in a two-vehicle collision while attempting to turn right onto Penlan Road in September.

Fortunately nobody was hurt in my accident but it was an extremely distressing experience and losing my car has resulted in major financial difficulty for me.

The junction had always been problematic, so I was heartened to learn earlier in the year that improvements were to be made – despite the fact that they were to be made at the same time as major roadworks at the bottom of Leckwith Hill (ie there would be roadworks at both the major access roads to Llandough Hospital and the surrounding area).

It seemed obvious to me and many others that the first improvement to be included would be a right-turn filter light, and that any other improvements would work around this essential change.

The lack of a filter light is a truly shocking oversight and completely unjustifiable – the reasoning quoted by a spokesman in the Penarth Times regarding a lack of space and planned new bus lane completely miss the point.

The junction was unsafe in its previous condition and it is now even more so.

I used to make that turn every day (I work in the histopathology laboratory in Llandough Hospital) and up until my accident, I had several dangerously close encounters following the ìimprovements.

During busy periods a person turning right must wait in the middle of the uncontrolled area of the junction and make the turn when their light is red, and it is never obvious if oncoming traffic still has a green light.

Up to three cars in a row can fit into the uncontrolled area to make the turn before the light goes red, and before the third one has made its way safely out, the light from Penlan Road has turned green and that third car must cut across the path of traffic coming downhill.

In summary: the cars turning right at this junction must do so on a red light while considering traffic from three directions, at two of which are particularly dangerous – oncoming from Cardiff Road which may or may not have a green light, downhill from Penlan Road which does have a green light when it shouldn't, as well as oncoming turning left up Penlan Road who should give way.

I have avoided travelling to this junction since my accident, and now approach the hospital via Penarth Road, turning left up Llandough Hill.

Many others have had the same idea since the roadworks were started and the junction became more hazardous – so this dangerously cramped, very steep and partially overgrown 'back lane' is struggling to cope with the extra volume of traffic, especially at peak times.

I hope that my experiences and observations, along with those of others reported in the local newspaper, will convince the Council that further work is urgently needed at the Merrie Harrier junction regardless of future objectives for the site.

Adrian Stoneman Penylan Cardiff