Sadlers Farm roundabout’s new surface is dangerous (From Echo)
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Sadlers Farm roundabout’s new surface is dangerous
8:20am Friday 31st August 2012 in News By Emma Palmer
Val Self – worried about Sadlers Farm
A MOTORIST is calling for urgent action to be carried out on the road surface of Sadlers Farm after her car skidded 180 degrees and into the path of oncoming traffic.
Val Self, 56, took the terrifying spin on the temporary road surface at the notorious Benfleet roundabout, which is nearing the end of a £63million improvement scheme.
Mrs Self, who says she was driving “sensibly and slowly” in her Renault Clio because it had been raining overnight, believes the road surface laid down at the junction is too dangerous.
Her concerns come just two weeks after motorcyclist Neil Fenn, 26, of Canvey came off his bike at the junction, blasting the surface as “too slippery”.
Mrs Self, of Philmead Road, Benfleet, skidded early on Saturday morning as she was heading towards the A130 Chelmsford turn-off with her 21-year-old son, Stephen, in the passenger seat.
She said: “In the 25 years I’ve been driving, I’ve never skidded like this.
“We were so lucky there wasn’t much traffic about, otherwise I dread to think what would have happened. “We were completely the wrong way round on the road.
“My legs turned to jelly – it was scary.
“There was a van right behind me which was also going slowly, presumably because of the rain.”
Essex County Council said an independent road safety audit had already been carried out, and found the surface to be completely safe.
However, Mrs Self does not agree. She added: “If that road is not properly surfaced, sooner rather than later, there will be a fatality.
“I don’t see how anyone could deem that road surface safe.”
Contractors carrying out the Sadlers Farm improvements have had to down tools until the Olympic and Paralmypic Games are finished.
A spokesman for Essex County Council said: “The contractors can’t go on site to carry out any work until the embargo set by LOCOG has been lifted. “Once this is lifted, workers will be back on site.”
Comments(36)
Rich'Carol
says...
8:44am Fri 31 Aug 12
pendulum
says...
9:15am Fri 31 Aug 12
Miss_Independent
says...
9:40am Fri 31 Aug 12
People don’t realise how important these are, they are the thing that touch the road and keep you on it. People need to look in the ratings of tyres and not just rock up at a garage and say I need some tyres but want to spend a bomb.
At the end of the day the choice is yours, I drive a rear wheeled drive car and have no problems in the wet weather as I have a good set of tyres....
Russ13
says...
9:47am Fri 31 Aug 12
OK, they may need to complete re-surfacing but is it really that bad or is this incident as a result of aqua-planing, poor driving, poor tyres or a combination of the three?
Dan_
says...
10:40am Fri 31 Aug 12
perini
says...
12:19pm Fri 31 Aug 12
The Real Haze
says...
1:01pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Frankiii
says...
1:17pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Or alternatively she could **** moan that it was the asphalts fault, that she is the victim, ignore any responsibility that she was supposedly I control of the vehicle. What is with these people?
Frankiii
says...
1:17pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Or alternatively she could **** moan that it was the asphalts fault, that she is the victim, ignore any responsibility that she was supposedly I control of the vehicle. What is with these people?
Frankiii
says...
1:18pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Or alternatively she could **** moan that it was the asphalts fault, that she is the victim, ignore any responsibility that she was supposedly I control of the vehicle. What is with these people?
tac123
says...
1:47pm Fri 31 Aug 12
I wish the evening Echo would leave the sadlers farm roundabout alone, it is no longer news it is boring, as for people who can't drive, well that is a headline!
tac123
says...
1:48pm Fri 31 Aug 12
I wish the evening Echo would leave the sadlers farm roundabout alone, it is no longer news it is boring, as for people who can't drive, well that is a headline!
jaguarxxv
says...
2:04pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Basic knowledge.
howironic
says...
2:06pm Fri 31 Aug 12
jaguarxxv wrote:Most things are slippery when wet
Roads are always slippery after a rainfall following a dry spell.
Basic knowledge.
John T Pharro
says...
2:12pm Fri 31 Aug 12
nicknows
says...
2:27pm Fri 31 Aug 12
I have noticed quite a lot of drivers taking the Canvey turnoff and then doing a 'U' turn to go back onto the roundabout. They reason there is traffic stacked back to the beginning of the flyover where the road splits from the Pitsea direction. Even had one van on the inside lane cut across me when I was in the outside lane. It has gotten that bad that I always take the inside lane on the roundabout.
I am wondering how long before there is a major accident on the roundabout!!!
nicknows
says...
2:27pm Fri 31 Aug 12
I have noticed quite a lot of drivers taking the Canvey turnoff and then doing a 'U' turn to go back onto the roundabout. They reason there is traffic stacked back to the beginning of the flyover where the road splits from the Pitsea direction. Even had one van on the inside lane cut across me when I was in the outside lane. It has gotten that bad that I always take the inside lane on the roundabout.
I am wondering how long before there is a major accident on the roundabout!!!
whataday
says...
5:24pm Fri 31 Aug 12
I know people are probably fed up with hearing about Sadlers Farm roadworks but nobody could deny they have been a shambles. And it continues.
whataday
says...
5:24pm Fri 31 Aug 12
I know people are probably fed up with hearing about Sadlers Farm roadworks but nobody could deny they have been a shambles. And it continues.
John T Pharro
says...
6:29pm Fri 31 Aug 12
whataday wrote:Agreed and having already had to stop just a short distance under the bridge when the rush hour is in full when the children are back at school how long before the build up will result in selfish drivers belting down the lanes designated for the A130 north and pushing in further along?
Im wondering when there is going to be a fatal accident due to the fact the road coming from Pitsea towards Sadlers has no signage to let you know to take the two left hand lanes to go round the roundabout or two right hand lanes to go to the Canvey slip road. This also isn't signed and I can easily see why people who haven't been around here while this chaos was going on would believe there is still the old mini-roundabout system and, therefore, go round the roundabout the wrong way. There aren't any signs to indicate its a roundabout either.
I know people are probably fed up with hearing about Sadlers Farm roadworks but nobody could deny they have been a shambles. And it continues.
Brunning999
says...
6:31pm Fri 31 Aug 12
basildon girl
says...
7:47pm Fri 31 Aug 12
soul man
says...
9:13pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Alec Cikes
says...
9:17pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Come on Echo journalists, broaden your horizons, open your vision, change your record and get onto more substantial writing.
The more important articles, as for instance about the Somalian drug dealers in Southchurch Park or the Chinese oyster pickers (incidents that could affect anyone within the area), doesn't have any follow-up. We all need an update on such issues.
It would seem as though the Echo is harpering on very poor short-sighted & regurgative journalism about the ridicule.
Many have also noticed recently that The Echo has also closed its doors and doesn't allow any comments from its readers on issues that are of any importance to anyone within the Borough.
Freedom of speech: "For the people, by the people", is the only way forward and every nationality reading this local paper should be allowed their view.
emcee
says...
12:46am Sat 1 Sep 12
Alec Cikes wrote:Yep.
News about the Sadlers Farm roundabout (once again), the Victoria Circus concrete eye-sore, football & Robbie Williams is really rather boring and tedious!
Come on Echo journalists, broaden your horizons, open your vision, change your record and get onto more substantial writing.
The more important articles, as for instance about the Somalian drug dealers in Southchurch Park or the Chinese oyster pickers (incidents that could affect anyone within the area), doesn't have any follow-up. We all need an update on such issues.
It would seem as though the Echo is harpering on very poor short-sighted & regurgative journalism about the ridicule.
Many have also noticed recently that The Echo has also closed its doors and doesn't allow any comments from its readers on issues that are of any importance to anyone within the Borough.
Freedom of speech: "For the people, by the people", is the only way forward and every nationality reading this local paper should be allowed their view.
Saxonpride
says...
2:09am Sat 1 Sep 12
And look, they've even got a picture of her scowling too. I suppose it beats writing misanthropic letters to the local press about the state of today's children or about how things were so much better in the 1960's.
Rich'Carol
says...
8:07am Sat 1 Sep 12
Saxonpride wrote:She is NOT an old woman, before she spun the car and done a hand brake turn and a 360 degree tyre burn out she looked her real age of just 27 but this encounter has frightened her so much and has made her look 87.
An old woman complaining? How surprising.
And look, they've even got a picture of her scowling too. I suppose it beats writing misanthropic letters to the local press about the state of today's children or about how things were so much better in the 1960's.
ChampKind
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8:57am Sat 1 Sep 12
Brunning999
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7:34am Sun 2 Sep 12
APR
says...
8:57am Sun 2 Sep 12
Russ13
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2:50pm Sun 2 Sep 12
Brunning999 wrote:So an invisible diesel spill or black ice won't make a driver lose control?
The term 'the car went out of control' is a joke cars are controlled by drivers, conditions on the road are something the driver needs to consider, cars never no out of control drivers unless there is a serious mechanical defect, then the driver needs to gain control, by stopping.
In either situation, stopping/slowing down is either extremely difficult or impossible.
OK, in the situation with black ice you should be driving slowly as it would have to be very cold and that in itself should be fair warning but a diesel spill is another matter ;-)
Not Quite Right
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7:37pm Sun 2 Sep 12
pricey87
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1:12pm Mon 3 Sep 12
EastStBoy
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8:53pm Mon 3 Sep 12
PJR-121
says...
11:39am Wed 5 Sep 12
Russ13 wrote:Don't brake, your wheels may lock and there will be no chance to getting the car back - if you need to slow, use gears, but in any case lift off the throttle gently - and turn the front wheels into the skid - trying to turn back onto the way you want to go will result in the car spinning completely.
Brunning999 wrote: The term 'the car went out of control' is a joke cars are controlled by drivers, conditions on the road are something the driver needs to consider, cars never no out of control drivers unless there is a serious mechanical defect, then the driver needs to gain control, by stopping.So an invisible diesel spill or black ice won't make a driver lose control? In either situation, stopping/slowing down is either extremely difficult or impossible. OK, in the situation with black ice you should be driving slowly as it would have to be very cold and that in itself should be fair warning but a diesel spill is another matter ;-)
Simples
howironic says...
8:43am Fri 31 Aug 12