Residents campaign for Northampton street to be relaid due to rumble strips which cause noise “like plane taking off”
A ROAD in Northampton on which ‘rumble strips’ were installed last year is to be resurfaced again after residents described the noise of passing vehicles as “like a plane taking off”.
As part of a £6.8 million regeneration scheme in 2011, Northamptonshire County Council introduced a new road surface and 20mph speed limit in Gladstone Road in Spencer.
But, since the new road surface was installed, residents who live close to the road have found the noise from passing traffic unbearable.
Joe Copus, who lives close to a section of the road where strips of block paving have been laid, said he found it difficult to sleep.
Mr Copus said: “It sounds exactly like an aeroplane taking off and even when the windows are closed you can still hear it.
“It can keep you awake all night long and you can’t sit in the garden and talk to people as you can’t hear each other.”
As a result of the complaints by residents, the county council has agreed to lift up a small section of the noisy ‘rumble-strip’ surface and re-lay it.
If this is successful, the county council may then repeat this process in the rest of the road.
The residents’ campaign has been supported by Spencer Dallington Residents Association and Northampton Borough Councillor Gareth Eales (Lab, Spencer).
Councillor Eales said: “The noise has caused a lot of disturbance to a lot of people.
“The problem is that it is supposed to be a 20mph zone but that does not seem to have reduced the speed of the vehicles.
“Spencer Dallington Residents Association and myself will be doing a consultation with local residents in the coming weeks to seek their views on the proposed action.
“This is a step forward in the right direction and I’m really pleased our hard campaign to get the County Council to listen is starting to pay off.”
A petition calling on the county council to meet residents to discuss the problems with the noise of the road received more than 500 signatures.
The issue of the noise will be discussed at the next meeting of the residents association on Thursday, March 1 at Spencer Dallington Community Centre.
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Comments
There are 14 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Laui59
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 02:45 PMYou forget they get there money for these projects not only from tax payers money, speed camers and working fine. Let's look more closely, Northampton roads are a mess, crumbling left right and centre, pot holes everywhere, to the extend my local garge informed me the large clank and damage to my car was due to the roads and very common, setting me back 100's of pounds in repairs to bush's and wishbones on my 2007 car. To top it off they have allowed Anglian water to drisrupt the roads in no plan executional patten or given detailed information to those effected, leaving shocking amount of roads unusable, this then effects the street packing residents that have already no way of ensuring they car safely park near there homes past 6pm as the parking wardens are out in force issuing tickets up til 10.30 at night. This is mainly again down to them having ridiculous amounts of double yellow lines, in places un-needed, and where it is needed there are none! Eg loads next to people's houses or ideal places for residents to park, then no lines miles from anywhere or in dangerous places. Across the road there is a large back garden that runs along side the road, yet there are double yellow lines along it? Then right next to an entrance to the well renoun racecourse (rapes, stabbings, junkies and muggings) they have nothing?. But who would want to park there car there? Do they want to be attacked or have there cars damaged, I think not! So what does this all mean to a middle aged family with 1 child that works hard full time to fund they small family. We now live in with poorly light streets (council discussion), asked to park miles from our homes and in area's they are aware AREN'T safe at night, if you park safely near by, you risk getting a parking ticket so we either have to risk our own safety or be hit with constant fines... After I letter I wrote to them expressing this, the reply was as much as saying hard luck! Clear message here is stopped spending and start listening, NCC your residents are not happy with they way your running the town, expessally the roads... ( sorry for grammar and spelling as this topic really enfuriates me ) Rssident of Shakespeare Rd.
dotty51
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 08:39 PMI travel up this road daily and don't see anyone doing 20 mile per hour. What an absolute waste of tax payers money. As for speed humps, waste of time, My road has them and they have not made any difference to speeding traffic. Do all the people pictured live near one off these traffic calming grids? I think not.
jimorourke
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 04:47 PMI feel so sorry for the residents, its taken ages to get anything done about this noise nuisance. . As usual, mother knows best talk about nanny state.
Chrispy1
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 03:38 PMNCC wasting shedloads of our money yet again. Laying a new road that turns out to be unfit for purpose, so it has to be done yet again. Meantime, other estates have roads in condition that would shame the third world. These councillors and their officials simply aren't up to their jobs.
Majabl
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 02:32 PMIn short: new road is noisy because people break the law. Proposed solution: allow people to continue to break the law and change the road. Hmm.... How about speed-activated speed humps or something instead?
Cely
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:56 AMDrivers don't use the road so much now, they can't stand the noise.
pushkin
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:07 AMCan someone answer a question? Why do council estate get preferential treatment for road resurfacing and upgrades? Don't say they don't anybody with a bit of savvy can just visit one to see for yourself Kingsheath is an obvious place to start.
a bit miffed
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 10:58 AMFor the amount spent of the "traffic calming" measures they could have stuck an average speed camera on that road to slow drivers down. Oh, wait, we turned them off. Ah well, guess we have to stick to chicanes and rumble strips.
20SOMETHING
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 09:45 AMOnce again we are seeing a serious waste of public money on unnecessary road works which in this case are also causing unbearable noise levels which were not present before the so called road improvements, As with the gasworks traffic lights we are seeing money being spent on .unnecessary alterations.
Finker
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 09:35 AMminx79, sounds like it is the drivers to blame, and has many have said on here, the Council should stop picking on speeding motorists. Can't please all the people I guess but if everyone drove carefully and at the speed limit I imagine things would be a lot better.
Finker
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 09:32 AMDid it make any difference to speed though? Which is what I believe residents were previously insisting that the Council do something about.
minx79
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 09:21 AM@Nptonbornandbred - Why don't you try living on this road and living in these resident's shoes before you brand them as ungrateful! The fact is that I find the road to be dangerous - I am not a resident but I drive on that road almost every day - I have to swerve to avoid the trucks and buses that cannot or will not follow the curves of the road and just plough straight down the middle. Then there are the other car drivers who just ignore the 20 mph speed limit and they also do not follow the curve of the road. I have had several near misses because of drivers like this. It is hardly an improvement to the road to actually make it more dangerous to drive on - and that's without considering the issue of noise to the residents. Try laying the blame where it lies - the COUNCIL!
Nptonbornandbred
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 09:02 AMI hope this is the last time the council spend our money improving an area for a load of ungrateful residents. They could have left it As it was and invested this money on those that would appreciate it.
Pacifist
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 08:43 AMHow much did County Council spend? And how much do they now propose to spend to put it back? Same with Kingsthorpe, Gold Street, and soon Bridge Street!!! No doubt they paid out of town firms to come up with these "unique" plans without listening to the locals and then frittered council yax payers money away. WELL DONE NCC, WELL DONE!!!
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