Well done to Rawreth Parish Council. They have been campaigning hard on stopping heavy lorries using Watery Lane and Beeches Road, and they are making progress.
There’s already a 3 Tonne weight restriction. But an increase in traffic, the increasing size and numbers of HGV’s and the new reliance on Satnav has resulted in more heavy lorries going down there. Drivers are ignoring the warning signs and restrictions and this is having a serious impact on the safety of other road users.
In order to improve the situation Essex County Council are planning a number of changes , these include a build out of improved signing to incorporate vehicle activated electronic regulatory signs, and a new traffic regulation order being a 3 tonne restriction on the weak bridge adjacent to the Anglian works, this will be from a point 72 metres east of the junction of Beeches Road with the access road to the Anglian site and westwards for 92.5m.
And well done to County Highways too.
This may be good news for the residents of Watery Lane and Beeches Road but not for the residents of Rawreth Lane. It just moves a problem from one location to another.
It is not the fault of the Parish Council that they are lumbered with these road traffic problems, it is the failure of the County and District Councils to acknowledge that serious redevelopment of the road structure in this area is needed.
This has been highlighted by the negative attitude of RDC officials to even consider road infrastructure improvements in conjunction with the Core Strategy proposals.
I agree with your sentiments Greenbelt, Rawreth Lane is indeed carrying too much traffic and we have to fight to avoid further development here.
But – this particular item is about vehicles that are using Watery Lane illegally…. there shouldn’t be one of them going along there…
I take your point Chris, but efforts should be made to make roads safe and build bridges that can withstand the traffic without weight restrictions. The County Council and RDC have got to make this a priority, not bury their heads in the sand and think the problems will go away!!! Rawreth Parish Council seem to be the only branch of local authority fighting for road improvements in the area, with the help of yourself and Ron, and well done to them.
I’d have to say I’m pleased with the action being taken. Having twice this week been stuck in the very first bit of Watery Lane at the Hullbridge end, because large lorries had blocked the road for any cars to do anything more than inch past. At least Raweth lane can cope with a normal sized lorry.
As a Hullbridge Parish Councillor I found that we were getting a lot of complaints from our residents about this for the reasons bigbry describes. Our local police team and ourselves have been working on this for at least two years.
Yes, Greenbelt this is very good news for the residents of Watery Lane/Beeches Road. We already have to contend with the stinking sewage tankers coming down this road 24/7, together with the stinking skips that come down this road, together with the increase in 40 tonne plus lorries after Rochford Council gave the go ahead for The Mousery to be turned into work/industrial units, together with the ‘brainless’ drivers in cars and the ‘think bikers’ who use this as Brands Hatch. Remember this is a narrow country lane, at least Rawreth Lane is somewhat wider. One day I can see one of these lorries coming through our front door, a farm tractor has already slammed into a telegraph pole here which was then left leaning precariouosly towards our house. I’ve reached the stage that when a HGV goods vehicle comes down this lane, knowing that they shouldn’t, I let them go. If they get stuck, that’s their problem. Most of them know they shouldn’t be going down there but blame the ‘satnav’. We have foreign drivers pulling up outside our house who claim ‘not to understand’ but you should hear their very ‘English’ language when they get on the phone to whoever stating that they are ‘lost’ and ‘stuck’.