Resident calls for action to stop ‘pavement driving’ on The Butts

A local resident is warning that a serious accident involving a pedestrian is ‘inevitable’ if vehicles continue to drive on the pavement at The Butts.

As reported in the Frome Times in July, traffic heading north from the mini-roundabout where The Butts meets with Rossiter’s Road, is mounting the pavement to continue their journey along The Butts. 

Drivers are choosing to drive on the pavement rather than wait for oncoming traffic – which is overtaking parked cars along The Butts – to pass. 

In a bid to solve the problem, town councillor Scott Ward started work with residents in the area to collect evidence of the problem to present to the highways office at Somerset County Council. 

However, local resident, Richard Anderson, has said that he feels the situation is not improving and that action needs to be taken sooner rather than later.

Richard told Frome Times, “I’d say it’s getting worse lately. The problem is drivers become increasingly frustrated, and the more frustrated they get at having to wait, the more liable they are to do something crazy. 

“I’ve definitely had more cases where people have refused to stop and wait when I’ve been driving, and have gone up on the kerb at speed as I’ve passed them. And there are so many kids walking along there on their way to school, it feels really dangerous sometimes.”

Richard has written to Frome Town Council appealing for action. In his email he said, “As a resident of the southern, Sainsbury’s end of town, I feel compelled to write and ask when something – anything! – is going to be done about the dangerous conditions I experience daily as a pedestrian on The Butts. 

“I walk along that road multiple times a week, often with my young child, and am forever having to avoid vehicles mounting the pavement to squeeze past one another, often at speed, or avoid large trucks which have been forced so close to the pavement that their wing mirrors extend out across the path.

“Are we waiting for somebody to be seriously hurt, perhaps even killed, before the conditions caused by parked cars along one side of the street are addressed? It seems inevitable a serious accident and injury to a pedestrian will occur at some point on that road – is the council planning to do anything about it?”

In July, Somerset County Council told Frome Times that concerns about parking in The Butts would be considered as part of a upcoming review of parking across Frome.

Speaking to Frome Times, Frome Town councillor, Scott Ward said, “I’m currently waiting for news regarding the parking and traffic review that will be happening in the near future at both Mendip and Somerset councils. My hope is that the feedback from Frome residents will play an important part in that review with regards to parking and traffic in the town.

“I’ve made a point of travelling up and down The Butts more regularly over the past few months and I have personally only seen one or two incidents of drivers taking to the pavement to get though. In fact I’ve found the majority of drivers using the road to be very patient while waiting for space to continue their own journey. Whether this is true of other times of the day remains to be seen. I’m definitely getting less people raising incidents with me and I’m not seeing as much chatter about it on social media.

“I’d urge anyone seeing an incident of dangerous driving to jot down as much information as they can, as long as it’s safe to do so, and to then report this to the police using 101 as I know that our local officers are keen to get more contact from the public when crime is happening, which dangerous driving is.”