Action at last on the Seamer Road cones
Scarborough News readers called for end to eyesore at B&M
The traffic cones which have become synonymous with Seamer Road will finally be replaced thanks to pressure from The Scarborough News and our readers.
Last month we called on the county council to act once and for all to remove the “temporary” solution that was put in place almost three years ago when B&M opened at the Queen Margaret’s junction.
Now, the highways authority has confirmed it is returning to the original plan from 2014 to put a traffic island in the road.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said: “The council is hoping to begin work soon on a traffic island to prevent right turns into and out of the B&M store in Seamer Road, Scarborough.
“Traffic cones have been in place for some time to prevent the manoeuvres. The original planning permission for the B&M store provided for an island to stop right turns in and out of the site, but it was not built because it would have affected access to the Topps Tiles store next door.
Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for Highways, said the county council permitted the developer of the B&M store to change the road markings to provide a right turn lane for the new outlet.
He added: “But owing to serious highway safety concerns observed on CCTV and by members of the public during the first week of opening, the county council placed a line of cones in front of the access to B&M and Topps Tiles to prevent right turns. Since then, the county council has been negotiating with the site owners of B&M, Topps Tiles and the retail park containing B&Q and Halfords, to find a solution with better provision for pedestrians.
“No agreement has been reached, but in order to remove the cones and signs and provide a permanent solution to improve the safety of drivers and pedestrian using the road, the county council is to build a new traffic island to prevent right turns.”
Scarborough News readers spoke out over fears that the busy road will come to a standstill when the new Lidl store on the former McCain Stadium site opens in 2017
Reader Julie Jackson wrote: “How long has B&M been there? It’s about time they got that silly bit of road sorted, don’t you think?”