Dear Sir,

I have read a number of letters in the Newton News over the last year or so, regarding the Pease Way Race Track, YET NO ONE HAS COME UP WITH ANY SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM!

Speeding is not the only problem, there is also the drivers who don’t obey the rules of the road, highway code or have courtesy towards other road users, a few examples:

There are the drivers, when turning right out of Beechfield, don’t give way to vehicles coming off the roundabout, I know the vehicles coming off the roundabout have to give way to oncoming traffic, but vehicles coming out of Beechfield are not oncoming traffic so they need to give way to vehicles already on the major road.

Similar problems happen at the junction with Barrington Road, vehicles turn right out of Barrington Road when vehicles are waiting to pass the parked cars between the Bus Stop and the junction (which are not helping being parked there). Again the vehicles on Pease Way (the major road) have right of way, not the vehicles coming out of Barrington Road.

Then there is the roundabout at the junction with Emerson Way, vehicles turning right out of Emerson Way have priority over vehicles coming down Pease Way, all vehicles must give way to vehicles coming from the right, basic rules of the road/highway code. I have had a number of near misses due to drivers not giving way to the right who give you funny looks or the finger when you blow your horn, even though they are in the wrong.

There is, of course, the traffic calming/pinch points which are a joke (cars are also parked too close to these), which are supposed to slow the traffic, but some drivers seem to see it as an opportunity to see who can get there first. The answer to this would be to either remove them completely or replace them with chicanes where the drivers have to slow to be able to steer through them, such as the type of traffic calming used at Cohoe, Quarrington Hill, Cassop, Kellow, or the type used on the Henknowle Estate, Bishop Auckland.

I am aware that Pease Way is not the only road in Newton Aycliffe, nor Newton Aycliffe the only Town, Village or City that have these problems. BUT ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS ARE NEEDED BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED, OR GOD FORBID, KILLED.

There used to be a group called Aycliffe Road Management and School Safety, (A.R.M.S.S) who were trying to make roads outside schools safer, but did not get the support they needed from parents or residents. Perhaps the residents of Pease Way and surrounding area, with others who are having similar road safety problems, could come together and organise a group which could be entitled, Great Aycliffe Road Safety Association (G.A.R.S.A) or something similar, to try and make a difference.

Concerned,

Pease Way Resident