Nantwich resident’s anger at CEC reply on faded speed signs

A Nantwich resident was stunned when Cheshire East highways bosses declined to replace road speed limit signs which are faded so badly they are no longer visible in the dark. The signs, pictured, inform drivers entering Whitehouse Lane from Middlewich Road in Nantwich that they are moving from a 40mph zone to a 20mph zone. However, the signs are so badly faded they are barely visible in the light, and impossible to read in the dark.

But when one resident complained, the council said the signs were "not currently an urgent defect" and would not be replaced any time soon. The resident, who lives in that area of the town, said: "I raised these faded speed limit signs to Cheshire East Highways last month for Whitehouse Lane in Nantwich. "The road goes from 40mph to 20mph.

There are no markings on the floor to advise drivers of the 20mph. "Instead there are just these two faded signs not visible in the dark. "But the council closed the enquiry and said its on a future programme of work, but no works would happen soon!"

The resident, who we have agreed not to name, then raised a Stage 1 complaint with the authority. "I deemed it a safety risk to road users," he added. The council's reply read:

I can advise that while the council acknowledges that these signs are faded, these signs do not currently identify as an urgent defect in accordance with the council's current Code of Practice that has been developed to align with Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980. However, this location will be included into a future rolling programme of sign replacement works for consideration, which will be prioritised within available resources along with locations of a similar nature. At this present time we are unable to indicate a timescale for those works, until the necessary funding and resource becomes available.

The stunned resident added: "I think it's only fair now to highlight the lack of safety Cheshire East Council highways have for road users and pedestrians! "Perhaps CEC are saying people can drive at 40MPH down this road and it's not a safety risk if they do." A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: "We are currently in the design phase for replacing the 20mph signs on Whitehouse Lane and will be replacing them at the earliest opportunity.

"The council takes all road safety matters extremely seriously.

"If our residents have any concerns about speeding traffic, they should first contact Cheshire police."