Dene Road Safety Scheme

Dene Road Safety Scheme, March 2022

Throughout the year a number of changes were made to Dene Road in an effort to make it safer for both motorists and pedestrians alike. The changes were implemented following a period of consultation involving local residents, local councillors, the city council and Highways. Briefly, the changes may be summarised as follows:

• Centre islands with bollards.

• White lines outside some private drives to prevent parking.

• Broken white lines marked out for parking spaces.

• Double yellow lines.

• Diagonal white lines (hatchet markings) bounded by broken lines and painted in the centre of the road to separate opposing flows of traffic and to prevent overtaking.

• ‘SLOW’, ‘20’ and other markings painted on the road.

• A new centre island near to Highfield and Holt House to be used as a crossing point for pedestrians, its lowered kerb making it easily accessible.

• ‘20’ already on lamp posts.

• Vehicle Activated Speed sign installed in June.

• Renewing all of the faded road markings.

• Repairing of the section of the road near to Wilmslow Road that had begun to disintegrate: this work was done in September.

The works involved providing protection at the entrance to Highfield, Plowley Close, and at the junction with Fordbank Road in order to improve visibility for vehicles turning onto Dene Road – hence the double yellow lines.

Suggestions rejected

• Highways would not consider a residents’ parking scheme.

• The suggestion from numerous residents of a centre island near to the junction with Ford Lane was not possible because it was too close to the existing controlled pedestrian facility at the junction with Wilmslow Road.

• Highways confirmed that the suggestion to use planters – large, heavy containers – in the middle of the road to force drivers to slow down was rejected because of problems of ensuring compliance with highways regulations and the long-term maintenance costs.

Some comments

• Centre islands not really safe crossing points for pedestrians as kerbs not sunken and cars parked by pavement.

• More vehicles now seem to be parked on side roads, such as Fordbank Road.

• Some motorists continue to speed along Dene Road from the direction of Wilmslow Road. Indeed, some have overtaken vehicles keeping to the speed limit and have driven over the diagonal white lines in doing so. Some have even been seen driving to the right of the bollards – at speed.

• Some motorists fail to slow down in spite of the Vehicle Activated Speed sign flashing up a red warning figure.

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