Car transporter causes chaos in village street (From Thisisdorset)

Car transporter causes chaos in village street

9:30am Monday 28th July 2008 in News By Harry Hogger

A DOUBLE-DECKER car transporter caused chaos in Abbotsbury when it got stuck in the middle of the village.

Residents say they are fed-up with large vehicles avoiding the main roads coming through the village and finding they are unable to get round the corner near the turning to the Swannery.

Barbara Laurie, who lives near the junction, says the problem could be easily solved by better signs, particularly at Bridport, warning drivers of large vehicles not to use the coast road.

She said: "It was the second time that morning a large vehicle got stuck there.

"It was coming from Bridport and it chose to come this way when it should have gone along the main road.

"When it got to the corner outside our house it just couldn't get round. It made various attempts and finally the driver decided he couldn't make it.

"Lots of people went out to help him, there was one person telling him what to do from the front and one at the back as well as three other people directing traffic."

The villagers eventually managed to direct the lorry back into Market Square and the driver then, with some difficulty, turned the vehicle round and headed back the way he had come.

"It was chaos, there were people coming up from the Swannery and the Tithe Barn, people trying to turn off to the Swannery and people coming through the village - the traffic was building up in all three directions.

"This keeps happening and I had a campaign for quite a few years to get the signs changed.

"In Weymouth it used to be much worse and it was changed but at Bridport the only indication is when you come off the roundabout and are already on the road. All its says is severe restrictions' - it doesn't say what those restrictions are.

"There is no indication on the maps and when people are directed by sat nav, it is down to the council to put proper signage in place."

Mrs Laurie said she had written to Dorset County Council's highways department and had received a response saying it was looking into the issue.

Local county councillor Ron Nash said: "At Chickerell we got a special sign in foreign languages based on the chances of a foreign speaking driver coming from Portland Port or somewhere and there is a sign by the Crown Hotel at the Bridport end.

"Certainly our general policy is to direct large vehicles up the A35 and a car transporter should not be on that road."