Concern raised over decision to allow broadband monopole and cabinets to stay at Hawton Road and Grange Road, junction in Newark
Concern has been raised over a decision to allow broadband boxes to stay at a busy junction, despite claims they obstruct drivers' views.
Newark and Sherwood District Council's planning committee approved the application to retain broadband cabinets and pole at the corner of Hawton Road and Grange Road in Newark.
Hutchinson 3G UK Ltd had been forced to make the application after the units were not installed in accordance with the original plans.
Mark Carter, who lives on Grange Road, has raised his concerns several times regarding the visibility and road safety
Nearby residents have claimed the equipment blocks the views of motorists turning out of the junction.
He said: “At the junction you can’t see properly to your right. You have to pull out into the road to be able to see if the traffic is coming or not.
“A lot of people are stopping three metres away from the junction to look between two sets of cabinets because it creates a blind stop.
“My worry is that someone has approved this whilst they are sitting in their office in Nottingham but never in a car at the junction.
“One day someone will get hurt or killed.”
A speed survey was carried out by a National Highway team that proved that speeds of 32.65mph is achievable and the team showed no objection to the siting of the telecommunication equipment.
Mr Carter has been doing research on how far people travel per second to prove his point of lack of visibility in the area.
His statistics include a car at 30mph would travel at 44ft per second and 13.41 metres per second.
A car at 35 mph would travel 51.333ft per second and 15.646 metres per second while at 40mph it would travel 58.6667 feet per second and 17.882 metres per second.
“These stats don’t leave any room for error and with the extremely poor visibility at present it is an accident waiting to happen,” he said.
“My objection to this mast and cabinets has only ever been about road safety , not about having a mast or improved signal but purely in the interests of safety.”
