Two serious accidents anger villagers (From Borehamwood Times)

Two serious accidents anger villagers

9:19am Friday 5th December 2008 in Advanced search By Suruchi Sharma

Two serious car accidents in Shenley have infuriated residents, who are calling for measures to slow traffic down in the area.

The accidents occured within two hours of each other early on Saturday morning.

A 17-year-old boy had to be cut from his Mini at 12.40am by firefighters after crashing into a garden in Black Lion Hill.

The car came off the road, crashed through a fence and landed in a garden. The teenager suffered shock and bruising.

Watch commander Paul Farrow said: “He got away very lucky considering the state of the Mini. It was pretty smashed up.”

A second accident happened in London Road, Shenley, at 2.30am, when a red Skoda Octavia car overturned in the road.

Four people were travelling in the car from the A1 roundabout towards Shenley.

The 19-year-old driver’s shoulder was damaged and the mouth of one of the passengers was injured.

Both were taken to Barnet Hospital and released on Monday.

Councillor Mary Button, of Shenley Parish Council, said “a proper safety audit” needs to be done by Hertfordshire Highways to look at ways to slow traffic down.

This comes after a group to tackle traffic problems in Shenleybury was created at a Shenley Parish Council meeting last month.

Mrs Button helped set up the Shenley Travel Plan group, which assesses traffic issues, in 2004.

She said: “We are in the process of helping with the Shenleybury group but all the roads in the area need to have more traffic calming measures introduced.

“It is unfortunate these accidents happened but I think now Hertfordshire Highways needs to do a proper safety audit to assess the roads.

“I have in the past asked for chicanes to be put on London Road but there was no funding at the time for this.

“All approach roads to Shenley are bad and a proper assessment needs to take place.”

Keith Groves, 61, from Shenleybury Cottages, was involved in a collision with two other cars in August when he turned out of his road into Shenleybury.

He is helping to create a group to involve schools, councillors and residents to bring traffic calming measures to the area.

He said: “I think all the approach roads to and from Shenley are as bad as each other. The speed of traffic has to be controlled in the village.

“We have had a great response from people in the area who want to be involved in the group. We can discuss these accidents when we have our first official meeting in January.”

But a Hertfordshire Highways spokeswoman said an audit and extra measures are not necessary because other safety measures were introduced earlier this month.

These included the installation of vehicle-activated 30mph signs and improved pedestrian crossings.

She added: “There is an existing mobile speed camera site at the bottom of Black Lion Hill on the approach to the 30 mph area.

“Safety improvements are only one measure that can be used to resolve such issues. Education and enforcement are also options that we liaise with our colleagues at the police about.”