Yahoo News Drivers demand change to junction dubbed 'accident hotspot'
Motorists are demanding changes to a major Merseyside road after growing concerns around its safety.
In the last two years, there have been at least 26 reported road traffic accidents in and around the Switch island junction in Aintree. In 2024 alone, eight accidents were reported including five in the last two months.
Last weekend, emergency services were called to Switch island following a crash between a van and a black car - the van was later pictured flipped onto its roof. The junction has now been dubbed an 'accident hotspot' and the frequency of incidents in the last few weeks has led to renewed calls for change.
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The M57, M58 and three A roads - including the A59 trunk road - join at Switch Island and it is one of the busiest transport routes in Sefton. The road is owned and managed by National Highways who were asked to respond to the latest concerns. A spokesperson said: "Safety is our top priority and we’re exploring options for further potential additional safety measures at the junction."
The reasons for the road traffic accidents on the junction at Switch Island have never been comprehensibly determined, so we asked local motorists for their opinion on the road's safety issues. As a result, a number of different factors were identified, but the most prominent were accusations of drivers running red lights, the confusing layout and poor signage.
Paula Scanlon wrote: "Red light jumpers are the main problem, but to play devils advocate, the amount of people who I speak to who don’t frequent Switch Island very often, say it’s very confusing and they feel the signs aren’t as clear as they could be."
Rebecca Ellen Wainwright's theory involved a disconnect between the amount of space and the traffic light signals. She said: "There needs to be a delay on the lights coming off the M57 through.
"I just think they all change too quickly and don't allow enough time for light jumpers, which you are always going to get and given that the majority of accidents happen in that one spot, suggests it's people running reds."
Chris Carlsen pitched the potential effectiveness of more preventative measures around the junction. He said: "Accidents seem to be a daily occurrence. There need to be speed cameras in place coupled to cameras on the lights and these need to be enforced."
Mick Clarke rightly identified the junction as one of the busiest in the area and cites the combination of connectivity problems and driver error. He added: "90% of the accidents at Switch are at the same place, going from the M57 onto Brooms Cross, where it goes from 2 lanes to 1.
"The other issues are the sync problems coming off the M58 & A59. The junction gets blocked leading to people getting frustrated so they take chances."
Kate McMullin's assessment seemed to capture a number of concerns. She said: "You are forever second guessing what the driver to the side of you is going to do, as you see them look nervously at their sat nav, which has gone into meltdown.
"So then you are faced with making allowances for other drivers who don't know where they are going. It is literally a recipe for disaster.
"I try to avoid it at all costs, even if it means going out of my way to go a different way to work as I just know for one reason or another I am going to get stuck whether it be due to a crash or just traffic."
The ECHO understands National Highways are in the process of creating a new safety scheme which could significantly reduce accidents around Switch Island. The plans could include changes to the layout and the introduction of a 'speed on green' system - cameras used to see if a motorist runs a red light when passing through a junction.
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