Serious crash at Caldy accident blackspot despite speed limit reduction

Jun 25 2008 by Laura Jones, Heswall News

LESS than six months after the speed limit at a fatal accident blackspot was reduced from 50 to 40mph, Telegraph Road was closed again last week following another serious accident.

Home owners fed up of witnessing scenes of destruction on their doorsteps have spoken out - but councillors behind the new speed limit have warned that they “cannot legislate against stupidity”.

A team of 10 ambulances, police cars and fire enginesŠ were called after the accident outside Caldy Rugby Club Road at 7.10pm last Wednesday.

The accident happened on the Caldy stretch of Telegraph Road,Šby the junction of Thurstaston Road, and caused the road to be closed for more than two hours.

A man was trapped in his Šblue Ford Escort following a crash with aŠ red VW Golf saloonŠ driven by a woman and had to be rescued from the mangled vehicle by firemen.

He was taken to Arrowe Park Hospital by paramedics and treated for serious chest injuries.

The woman driver of the other car was also injured in the smash.

Three police cars attended the accident, which cause the road to be closed until 9.40pm.

A Merseyside Police spokesman said it was treated as a serious incident but no arrests were made.

One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: “I counted about five ambulances, at least three police cars andŠ about threeŠ fire engines too - it was a very bad accident.

“We’ve spoken to MPs and councillors about it, there have been petitions - nothing gets done.

“The speed limit needs to go down. This is the same spot where five Scouts were killed in the 1980s,ŠandŠsince then there have been countlessŠ other accidents.Š

“Something needs to be done.”

In the last year on the same stretch of road there have been four accidents in which three people were injured, and one person died.

At the last neighbourhood action group meeting West Kirby and Thurstaston police pledged to make traffic and anti-social behaviour problems their focus for the coming months.

Cllr David Elderton, who lobbied for the speed limit reduction, said: “We have succeeded in reducing the speed limit, but you simply cannot legislate against stupidity - we can try to educate against it, but that is a national problem.

“What we cannot do is put signs up everywhere because the more signs you put up, the more you confuse people. I will continue to do everything practical, pragmatic and reasonable to make the road safe.”