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Police drafted in to direct traffic at Wirral's Croft Retail & Lesiure Park



POLICE are being brought in to help direct traffic at a busy Wirral retail park over Christmas.

The owners of Bromborough’s Croft Retail & Leisure Park and Asda are jointly funding police cover at peak times over the festive period to deal with predicted heavy traffic.

Three police officers will direct traffic at the park and at Asda at the busiest times on agreed dates, based on traffic figures from last Christmas.

Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd (USS) said it had been working with local councillors, Wirral Council and Asda since February to find a way to relieve traffic pressures at Christmas and at other busy times like Easter.

USS’s Retail & Leisure Portfolio Manger, Fergus Egan, said: "Unfortunately this has not been a simple and straightforward process because of the many different land ownerships at the Park.

"Therefore, we decided to focus on temporary measures which could be put in place prior to Christmas, before returning next year to try to find more permanent solutions."

In consultation with Wirral Council’s highway officers, USS and ASDA have put up temporary signs designed to encourage drivers to follow an alternative route away from the retail park which avoids the busy A41 (New Chester Road)/Caldbeck Road junction.

Last month USS also undertook trial changes to the car park and closed some aisles to relieve congestion near Boots, Tesco Homeplus and Carpetright.

Mr Egan said: "Our traffic consultants had observed that hesitation by drivers looking for a parking space in this area sometimes led to blocking back towards Welton Road, the main vehicle route through the park.

"During the first week, the trial seemed to work well, with noticeably less hesitation by drivers. However, during the second week we received complaints that vehicles were parking in turn-round areas.

"We plan to undertake a new trial after Christmas, with a new configuration."

Eastham Councillor Phil Gilchrist said: "I am very pleased to hear that these steps are in hand. All the councillors for the area have stressed the urgency of putting measures in place for the Christmas period.

"Over four meetings we have urged the site owners and key businesses to play their part. I am grateful that the concerns we have all raised are being recognised."

THE ECHO

How about placing Police On the entrance and exit of Asda!
The Number of women (Yes women) who seem to drive down one way systems in the car park, and leave VIA THE ENTRANCE is astounding. If I ever see someone going the wrong way, I instantly give them the finger. Its people like that who caused me to ave the prang in the Micra, yet I was still apparently in the wrong


Also, place police on the first roundabout by the petrol station. That way, they can grab the Feckers as they drive on the RIGHT HAND SIDE of the roundabout, to cut through the petrol station and cause more congestion further up the road.


Another, more productive change they could make though, are temporary traffic lights on the roundabout by Frankie and Bennys. This section becomes congested during a fecking weekday, and I pray for anyone who parks outside of halfords or the cinema, and tries to get out. There are that many inconsiderate people on the road, too enthralled with their own puny and pathetic lives to think about anyone else, that it almost seems like its a post apocalyptic war or something.


Those changes would certainly make a difference, but will they be implemented?
Somehow, I cincerely doubt it

Ill just be avoiding going in there at peak times

Thats the problem though. For some insane reason, people appear out of nowhere, even during off peak times, and the place is busy.

Maybe it should only accept those that are local, judged by Tax Discs etc etc

I work on the darn croft business park. Coming out of Thursby Road is a nightmare. Women drivers do not let anyone out.

Cant you get out round the back - on Plantation Road?

Thats where the Diversions take you.

Doesnt help for people who live in Spital or towards Birkenhead though

Maybe not Spital, but For B'Head it brings you out at the Village hotel - misses a few sets of lights and the Speed Camera

Well, there is that. But Im guessing a lot of People who live in that direction will still use that Diversion, creating congestion just a bit further away


The thing to watch out for now though. At the lights, you can either turn left to bromborough, go straight to spital or right to birkenhead. Im seeing people shooting off the lights from the right hand lane, and suddenly diving into the middle one towards spital. People become idiots around there!

I went there yesterday just before ASDA closed and it took me just over 10 minutes to get out onto the A41

The trial changes failed. They got rid of parking spaces and in return, you get.......nowhere to park!!!


Simple solutions:
There should be an alternative exit onto Magazine Lane and another exit onto stadium road, around the side of the Odeon

My bugbear with that estate is trying to pull out of Caldbeck road(the bit that now links to stadium road) onto the main entrance road. You sit there for ages, there is never a gap in the traffic exiting from the cinema direction and no one ever lets you out.

How about the police, regardless of money, get back to cutting crime and catching burgalars, rapists and murderers, instead of yet again wasting time arsing about.

If people had a little patience on the roads, there would be no problem. People should be educated rather than molly-coddled.

That would help certainly, but in the real world it simply couldnt and wont happen. Mainly cos it would probably "Cost too much"


On second thoughts, i dont want the police to organise the area during busy periods.

Instead, I want 6 units, 2 on ASDA entrance, 2 on the first roundabout (maybe hidden in the petrol station) and 2 on the last roundabout.

With the number of idiots there, who think that simply due to a bit of traffic, the law and therefore rules of the road dont apply to them because they dont want to miss XFactor, the Police would easily make up any quotas they have for arrests

it doesnt help if you just want to go to mac'donalds that you have to go all the way roud causing more traffic, perhaps there should be traffic light on the retail park , as you say there is never a break in the traffic.

Maybe they should make access to McD's from the A41?