Barry Stamps Political Diary

Something really must be done to improve road safety on the A518. In the last couple of weeks there have been two accidents on the road, one at the notorious Swan Pit dip and bends and one by the Navigation Inn in Gnosall. Unfortunately the one at Swan Pit resulted in yet another fatality.

In 1995 when I was County Councillor for Gnosall Division I persuaded the Council to carryout a thorough review of the road. As a result they published their A518 Route Strategy which highlighted a number of areas which they felt needed improvement to ensure better road safety. These included the road at Swan Pit.

However since that time a new Councillor has been elected and the County Council has changed to Conservative control. But what does remain the same is the A518 and with ongoing budget cuts being threatened by the County Council I am afraid nothing is going to change in the future.

I do admit that since the Route Strategy was published a few new warning signs have been erected and a couple of pedestrian crossings have been installed, but other than that no real investment has been made.

Making this road safe will cost money, but I doubt the County Council have either the cash, or more importantly the commitment to make the real improvements that will prevent further accidents in the future. I do however urge the County Council not to bury their heads in the sand any longer and get something done before yet another accident occurs!