Sat navs guide lorries straight into problems (From This Is Wiltshire)

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Sat navs guide lorries straight into problems

10:10am Friday 27th January 2012 in News By David Wiles

Ed Randell

GREAT-grandfather Edward Randell is fed up with lorries getting stuck outside his house due to drivers blindly following sat navs.

The 88-year-old former railway worker said truckers trying to get to the Techno Trading Estate, accessed off Kembrey Street, are directed down the dead-end section of Bramble Road.

He said he gives directions at least once a day to confused drivers – and his front garden wall has been demolished four times in three years by people trying to turn in the road.

“I’m a bit annoyed about it because I’ve got the cost of putting the wall up or the inconvenience of getting in touch with people to come and do it,” he said.

“On top of that, I’m out there every five minutes telling a driver where he has got to go because his sat nav has brought him here. I’ve had enough of it.”

Mr Randell, who has lived in the road for nearly 60 years, said the problem started in 2008 when Swindon Council installed a barrier near his house to stop lorries using the residential route as a cut-through to the trading estate.

He said there are drivers from across the UK and many from the Continent, who cannot speak English very well, so he sometimes has to sketch a map.

Mr Randell said the longer HGVs have to reverse back into Elgin Drive, but the smaller lorries try to turn in Bramble Road, sometimes causing damage to his wall. His wall was last knocked down about three months ago.

He said he has contacted the council’s highways department several times and one officer said she would look into the possibility of new signs.

He said: “I suppose the solution would be getting the sat navs altered to show there’s a barrier, or completely new signage to tell them the Techno Trading Estate is only available off Kembrey Street.”

A Swindon Council spokesman said there is already appropriate signage warning drivers about the situation and the council cannot do anything if sat navs are not up to date.

He said: “If you are going down Elgin Drive, there’s a sign that tells you entry to Bramble Road is prohibited 150 yards ahead. There’s a sign telling you well in advance you cannot go down Bramble Road.

“And as you get closer to the scene, there’s another sign that says there’s no through road and it’s only suitable for cars and bikes.

“There’s signage on the approach to this area that clearly indicates the drivers cannot go down there, but there’s not much we can do if drivers are prepared to pay more attention to their sat nav than to the road signs.”

Comments(15)

Robfm says...
10:22am Fri 27 Jan 12

Sat Nav's more brain saving devices. Like symbols instead of words on road signs, great if you happen to know what the symbol means.