Over £2.5m to be spent making route between Buxton and Whaley Bridge safer

At a meeting last Thursday, Derbyshire County Council approved plans to spend £2.54 million on safety improvements for the A5004 road between Buxton and Whaley Bridge, known as Long Hill.

A consultation period will take place in the coming months when residents and road users will be asked their opinions on proposals for safety measures on the route, which has been closed for several months for landslip repairs and will reopen on October 2.

The money has come from the government’s Safer Roads Fund.

Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport said: “The A5004 Long Hill Buxton to Whaley Bridge has been ranked in the top 50 of the highest risk roads in England.

"Our next steps will be to talk to the local community and people who use both routes to gather their feedback about our proposals to help us, together, significantly improve safety along both routes.”

The proposals for the A5004, include:

*Average speed cameras from the 30mph limit in Buxton to the 30mph limit in Whaley Bridge to tackle inappropriate speeding and reduce the number and severity of collisions.

*A comprehensive review of speed limits along the route as well as improving the junction with the A53 in Buxton

*New rumble strips to alert drivers to speed limit changes.

*A new crossing point on the outskirts of Whaley Bridge is being considered as are making cycle improvements between Buxton and Whaley Bridge helping to link the area to the county’s cycle network.

*There is also talk of reducing the tightness of one of the the bends and applying central hatching road markings to reduce the visual width of the road.

*Installing roadside safety barriers and bike guard on the outside of bends is also one of the proposals being put forward.

Other parts of the proposal include better signing, lining and improved drainage to reduce surface water flooding.

We want to hear from you? What do you think of the proposals to make the road safer? Email [email protected].

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