Well, what a cock-up it has been!
Even up to the last week of August, we were all led to believe that the westbound (A521) route out of Draycott to the A50 & Stoke was going to be closed from next week for two and a half months.
However, at least, according to the official roadworks map, the eastbound side, coming into Draycott, would remain open… so it was believed.
But…. the signs indicating this closure were quite vague, and no one was quite sure what the details were. Plus – no one on the Highways Department ‘hotline’ seemed to know the details either.
So… which lanes were actually closing? No one quite knew.
So we feared the worst – quite rightly as it turns out.
Contradiction
Some of us also noticed that the official order, issued by Staffs Highways, contradicted the official map. The official order was, confusingly, saying something different to the map.
So, as the village council were doign nothing, we wrote to Highways on behalf of the residents, pointed out the contradictions, and asked for an explanation.
We still have not had a reply (no shock there!) – but… guess what? … the closure signs on the road there have immediately disappeared.
And today (late August), the official Draycott roadworks-alert map was suddenly – without warning – simply changed!
The new information now is that, it seems, BOTH the eastbound and westbound routes between Draycott and the A50 will be closed for eleven weeks from September 16th not September 2nd (with just a couple of days in between, when the eastbound will be open).
No apology or explanation for the former misleading information either.
Gridlock fears
In other words, if this is allowed to go through, for nearly three months, there will be no way out and no way in at the roundabout from or into Draycott; motorists will be forced to navigate through the crowded and narrow streets of Blythe Bridge instead to get in and out. What a nightmare. We predict this extra load will cause gridlock…
(By the way, as of the time of writing this, the official Highways order has not yet been altered – it still has the old wording – so someone in the department is still clearly not getting the message).
This is not a good situation to be in for motorists. There has already been a lot of discussion on the village Facebook page about this – and no one is happy…
Arrogance
It doesn’t help that Staffs Highways have arrogantly placed these traffic orders without even discussing the issues with our local councillors – or since apologising to confused members of the public for their mixed messages.
The original sign of road closure was for September 2nd – which turned out to be completely wrong.
What is more than annoying about this move is that it seems to have been just sprung on us. Although the original notice was issued at the beginning of this month and issued to local village councils, little publicity was done to tell actual residents about it – even the local newspaper hasn’t done a report on it! So most of us have been largely unaware of it until very recently.
It is a sad situation too when a large housing developer such as St Modwen Homes (on whose behalf all these works are being done) also doesn’t keep our local representatives & residents properly up to date.
You’d think that they would want to keep good relations with local people, but their ham-fisted way of going about this is not a good sign.
This affair really doesn’t give residents confidence for how St Modwen will carry out the rest of their huge development in our village, and, indeed, carry out their other proposals for the village that are already in the pipeline for the future.
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Draycott in the Moors News & Comment Website 
Any update on which points the road is being closed?
Drove through on Sunday but no clear indication of where closure starts and ends or diversion route. Also have temporary traffic lights to Blythe Bridge been removed ? – if not total nightmare.
The lack of clear communication is unforgivable!!!
John David Smith
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It won’t just affect Blythe bridge.
People will probably go via Cresswell, saverley green and fulford then Meir Heath to get into the potteries.
The road through Cresswell is already used as a rat run to the motorway so the diverted traffic is bound to have a huge impact on these roads.
Also how is the traffic going to manage through Blythe bridge on bin days? It is already chaotic without extra traffic. School children will be put at risk trying to cross the road in unofficial places and parents will struggle to get the drive for in children to the schools on time.
Who in their right mind has allowed this to go ahead? They should have at least insisted that one side of the road was left open to allow two way traffic through.
I feel sorry for the likes of delivery drivers who already have very long days and for anyone who needs to be somewhere for a set time. It will put a massive strain of lots of people’s working day making it even longer to allow for traffic – and all because someone decides to build some houses in a place where no-one in the right mind would want to live anyway with all the traffic noise from the A50.
F Bailey
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With the present traffic-light situation for the water-works, which runs for several more weeks more added to the equation, then god knows whats going to happen …..
Strange how St Modwen share the Leek council’s offices …..Talk about in the pocket..it really is pathetic
john wright
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Disgusting, and no thought given to local residents or the safety of the many pedestrians in Blythe Bridge.
There’s no way this should have been authorised..it’s only a matter of time before someone is injured or worse, as a result of the thousands of extra vehicles which will be forced to go through Blythe Bridge as their daily route to/from work.
What happens when the almost inevitable closure of the A50 happens due to an accident…or Blythe Bridge railway barriers fail or the crossing is closed for maintenance?
Concerned
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Can the local council ask Highways for hgv’s to be prevented from using Draycott Old Road when the road closures come into effect? It already takes a heavy weight of traffic, as do many of the surrounding country lanes.
Many local people/families walk, cycle and ride these minor roads and therefore they would be a potential death trap in the making.
A concerned local resident, Mrs Shaw
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Glad I found this page as I was wondering how to find out about the proposed road closure.
What a preposterous plan to close such a major road ! I’m on here to try and find out if the work had actually started.
I travel from stoke to Cheadle for work and the A50 is the quickest route. Blythe bridge is a nightmare anyway and to be honest Leek road/Werrington isn’t much better.
Has anyone got a petition up and running?
Sounds like St Modwen homes have a ‘ friend’ in the council if they can get such plans authorized without having to consult residents. 😦
mariainuk
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Given the heavy HGV traffic using this route, including access to Tean quarries and the already regular blockage of traffic entering Cheadle, this is an absolute nonsense.
Presumably this is to build access/egress to the new housing estate – 10 weeks is ridiculous.
Blythe Bridge already a nightmare with a bad junction, pedestrian lights, school traffic and a small train which regularly holds up traffic for 3-5 minutes for 2 carriages!
Think again Highways Authority….
John Smith
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Draycott Old Road is the shortest diversion route. Not good! Plus all the traffic that will try to get through Blythe at peak times such as school children.
It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
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