Entering and Exiting the Co-Op Petrol Station

[Dave]

it's clearly not 'perfectly safe' if someone entering the garage isn't expecting someone to come out the wrong way.

Agreed.  But my point is that the 'no exit' sign should not be there at all, in which case everyone would know that it's a two-way entrance/exit. 

[Duke Fame]

I get concerned now with cars parking on the road and pavement when approaching from Stockport.
The vehicle egress is often obstructed and an additional danger is occasioned particularly with the position of the pedestrian crossing.

I think most of the houses near these shops have a driveway so I would suggest double yellow lines to try and stop obstruction and as Phil says, you can always carry on to the petrol station shop even though there is a mandatory no left turn at the Church Lane exit and a courtesy no exit sign onto Stockport Rd!

Are the road signs mandatory if on private land?  I never use the Church Lane exit as it means going all the way up Church lane to get back home.  I always use the other "exit".

So it was you who nearly ran into me when I was turning in at the lower (correct) entrance the other day. It would help if those wrongly exiting at that point would at least keep to the left

I think this is the point, it's clearly not 'perfectly safe' if someone entering the garage isn't expecting someone to come out the wrong way. I don't think anyone has thought it through, if the one way was reversed, access to the parking will be difficult and dangerous for those walking out of the shop. Will those wanting petrol be willing to wait for the lights to change before taking the right church lane signal.

I think well see more of the 'Daves' of this world thinking the rules don't apply to them and get impatient.

[My login is Henrietta]

I get concerned now with cars parking on the road and pavement when approaching from Stockport.
The vehicle egress is often obstructed and an additional danger is occasioned particularly with the position of the pedestrian crossing.

I think most of the houses near these shops have a driveway so I would suggest double yellow lines to try and stop obstruction and as Phil says, you can always carry on to the petrol station shop even though there is a mandatory no left turn at the Church Lane exit and a courtesy no exit sign onto Stockport Rd!

Are the road signs mandatory if on private land?  I never use the Church Lane exit as it means going all the way up Church lane to get back home.  I always use the other "exit".

So it was you who nearly ran into me when I was turning in at the lower (correct) entrance the other day. It would help if those wrongly exiting at that point would at least keep to the left

[Howard]

Double yellow cobbles?

[admin]

By the way. Where people park on lower Church Lane seems to have been a problem for a long time. Here's a picture from the archives (undated) that clearly shows double lines down one side of the street.

They are versions of the same image and probably early 1900s. I'm not at all convinced that they are double yellow lines Howard (which were introduced in the UK in 1960 according to Wikipedia) although I can see why you thought that. I believe they are simply a different arrangement of the cobbles to form a gutter. You can see what I'm suggesting more clearly in this images further up Church Lane:

[Dave]

It is utterly barmy not to be able to turn left out of the garage at the end well away from the one-way system and proceed straight off down the Stockport Road. ..... I'm suggesting (like a few others on this thread) that it would be far more logical to go out of the other end of the petrol station if you are then heading toward Stockport.

I entirely agree.  The current arrangement, which I suspect was imposed by SMBC planners, is ridiculous.  It is perfectly safe to exit directly on to Stockport Road and head west towards Rose Hill.  Making drivers go up Church Lane and through the centre of Marple just clogs up the traffic even more.   

[Howard]

By the way. Where people park on lower Church Lane seems to have been a problem for a long time. Here's a picture from the archives (undated) that clearly shows double lines down one side of the street.



And another, but I think it's another version of the same image:

[thebigshed]

Wouldn't the simplest solution be to change round the signs so the entry was by the shop and the exit further down Stockport Road?  That way drivers would be more likely to follow the signs. 

I never turn left out of the current "exit" on Church Lane.  If anyone is coming in as I am leaving the Stockport Road "entry" I give way.

[Lisa Oldham]

I'm sure the original reasoning behind the traffic management on Church lane was correct and the issues behind it that Howard lists, remains correct.  I don't have a particular problem with people coming out of the entrance on to Stockport road as its not unsafe to do so and there is plenty of room.. even when I do what Duke Fame does
I don't think it used to be much of a problem, however I'm noticing a huge increase in people coming out of the exit and turning left onto Stockport road.  To be honest there is plenty of room at the end there but its off putting for other road users, clearly against the law even if the exit and entrance things arn't enforceable, and an accident waiting to happen.
But at the same time church lane is now often clogged up, not suitable for some of the traffic going up there, the bumps are looking worn already and I'm sure they redid them last year.

So really it s just time for a bit of a rethink by the garage and the road planners and I'm not sure why were all arguing! Thats what i reckon anyway

[Howard]

Hollins, I live very close to the location and use that area every single day as do my wife and children who walk that way to school.

Nowhere in my post did I say that Church Lane was built for that kind of traffic. None of the roads in Marple were built for the traffic they have now. In fact, when Marple had far fewer cars, Church Lane was two way traffic. The speed bumps on Church Lane are nothing to do with the current supermarket. Anyone who lived near the road before the speed bumps will recall cars speeding up Church Lane with little regard for anyone's safety and when they were added it reduced the speed, and therefore the risk, considerably. Now, of course, they speed up the higher part of Church Lane instead.

As the size of the convenience store increased and became a small supermarket then clearly traffic needed to be managed better. It's obvious that the amount of traffic going through the site has increased significantly since the new store was built which is why an attempt was made to route it by adding the no entry/exit signs. Drivers who ignore them, whether they're just "suggestions" or not are behaving inconsiderately and putting other people at risk. Just because drivers disagree with a sign that causes them minor inconvenience is no excuse for ignoring it.

[hollins]

Howard - have you personally driven your car into the Somerfield Car Park recently?  Church Lane has speed bumps on ... for a reason. How can you possibly say that it was built for lots of traffic? It is also parked up the entire way along, making viewing difficult for pedestrians wanting to cross. Stockport Road might be busy, but the visibility is at least good in most places.

I rarely use the Somerfield store for petrol (it's expensive). When I do so I adhere to the signs and sigh! It is utterly barmy not to be able to turn left out of the garage at the end well away from the one-way system and proceed straight off down the Stockport Road. This was the normal exit in the days when it was purely a Texaco garage and Somerfield didn't exist. For your information it can take considerably longer than 2 minutes to go "round the block" on a Saturday morning, and the roundabout junction of Church Lane with Hibbert Lane is hideous - try it on a bicycle if you don't believe me.

I'm not condoning going the wrong one up a one-way street. I'm suggesting (like a few others on this thread) that it would be far more logical to go out of the other end of the petrol station if you are then heading toward Stockport.

[Howard]

Do the residents on the lower part of Church Lane really want ALL traffic coming out of the Somerfield/Co-op store travelling up Church Lane? Stockport Road can realistically handle that traffic - I'm not sure that Church Lane can.

Of course it can cope with it. It's supposed to. Perhaps if we get another large building along Hollins lane there might be an issue   but at the moment there's no problem.

If I wanted to fill up with petrol and then set off to toward Stockport I would be pretty cheesed off at being diverted in the opposite direction half way round the centre of Marple first.

In that case you'd be just as selfish as those who do it now. It saves a minute - two at most. If you did this then you'd be putting pedestrians at risk who have to cross the exits and entries and expect traffic to be coming from only one direction. You'd also be putting yourself and other drivers at risk when they come down Station Road throught the GREEN light turning west towards Stockport who are definitely not expecting traffic to be joining them from the ONE WAY street on their left.

I have seen several accidents there caused by drivers doing precisely this.

[hollins]

Do the residents on the lower part of Church Lane really want ALL traffic coming out of the Somerfield/Co-op store travelling up Church Lane? Stockport Road can realistically handle that traffic - I'm not sure that Church Lane can.

If I wanted to fill up with petrol and then set off to toward Stockport I would be pretty cheesed off at being diverted in the opposite direction half way round the centre of Marple first.

[Howard]

Howard, I think you've missed the point. Vehicles are EXITING onto Church Lane and turning LEFT, against the one-way system.

Harry, I think you misunderstood or misread my post. Every day I see drivers use the wrong exits deliberately to save themselves a trip around the block. The only vehicles that have an excuse for this is the delivery HGV that is not able to get into the site to unload from the back. My point was that I'd like to see some sort of traffic management system that forces drivers to use the right exit and go up Church Lane when exiting the site.

[Harry]

I have seen the Summerfields HGV delivery vehicle doing just that- a fine example.

Actually I watched this the other day because I was curious about why the HGV did this. There's no way for them to turn around to unload from the rear of the wagon if they come in from the Stockport Road side.

Howard, I think you've missed the point. Vehicles are EXITING onto Church Lane and turning LEFT, against the one-way system.