The three Hartlepool roads to benefit from £170,000 of road safety improvements

Throston Grange Lane, Grange Road and Mowbray Road have been identified as three sites set to benefit in 2021-22 as part of the Local Transport Plan.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s neighbourhood services committee has approved the schemes, which are estimated to cost £170,000 in total.

Work on Throston Grange Lane, budgeted at £75,000, is to include the investigation of localised road widening at key junctions to provide dedicated right turn lanes, with double yellow lines implemented around junctions.

Council officers stated the site has seen two serious and slight accidents in the last five years, according to their data, the majority which were as a result of “poor manoeuvres at junctions”.

The plans for Grange Road include work at the junction with Mulgrave Road, with consideration to be given to installing a “raised platform” at the site.

Grange Road has seen one serious and slight slight accidents in the past five years, and the work, estimated at £45,000, would have the effect of physically slowing vehicles down over a speed hump.

Work to Mowbray Road, which has had one fatal and two slight accidents in the period, will include aiming to achieve a reduction in speeds on the road, to improve the road safety environment for all.

Officers note “build outs” to indicate traffic priority could be an appropriate measure.

But there may be difficulties in finding suitable locations due to the road being primarily residential.

Therefore this approach will be investigated further, and if an agreement cannot be reached, then additional signing and lining measures will be installed as an alternative, with an estimated budget of £50,000.

Consultation will be undertaken on all schemes where residents or businesses are directly affected, and if objections are received, they will be reported back to the committee.

Cllr Brenda Loynes noted there are several roads across the borough in need of safety measures although she backed the schemes selected in this year’s programme.

Council officers said the level of demand for safety schemes “far outstrips the budget” and an assessment is undertaken to develop the preferred list of programmes each year.

This includes looking at accident data, speed surveys, pedestrian use, community concerns and more.