I am currently receiving an unprecedented number of complaints about highway issues. Potholes of course have always been a major problem, and I am still receiving negative comments about them. However, the issues surrounding the SDLR are also consistently high.
I think most recognise that this is a fantastic feat of engineering and logistics. That said, the disruption it is causing is simply not understood by officers, as far as I can tell.
The new road junction at the top of Aller Brake Road is causing concern, as is the speed of vehicles moving along St Marychurch Road. There can be no doubt that this is a very dangerous road and speed contributes to residents worries. The new junction heightens the need for corrective action. My campaign to get a lower speed limit ( 30 where currently 40 ) is supported by a very large number of residents, but officers seem oblivious to local concern. I am consistently told that the rural nature of the road means that a 30 mph is not allowed by the rules….I just cannot accept that this statement stands up to close examination. Either side of the St Marychurch Road we have two of the largest housing estates in Newton Abbot, and yet it is designated as a rural area? I don’t think so! No one…but no one…living in the area that I have spoken to agrees with this definition.
If you want a 30 mph zone where currently it is 40 ( ie up to and just beyond the Twickenham Road junction) please write to peter.brunt@devon.gov.uk and let him know your views, on this or indeed any other highway issue.