Last month a woman was seriously injured in an accident on Hartswood Road in Brentwood, just outside the entrance to King George’s Playing Fields. It’s the second serious accident on this road; five years ago a 17 year old boy was killed in the same place, after being hit by a car being driven dangerously by a drug-driver.
Hartswood Road/Seven Arches Road runs from the edge of Shenfield Common through to the Devil’s Head crossroads near Thorndon South County Park. It’s a long, straight road, passing houses, King George’s Playing Fields and Brentwood County High School. Hundreds of children and their parents use it every day to get to and from schools and the park, and it is very worrying two such serious accidents have happened on this same stretch of road in five years,
A number of concerned local residents have formed the Hartswood Road Speeding Action Group (join it on Facebook), with the aim of working with local councillors, Essex Police, Essex County Council and the community to improve safety on the road.
To date, they have done an excellent job in making Essex County Council take a long hard look at the overgrown and faded pedestrian crossing, the barely visible road markings between the railway bridge and the park. So far, the Council has promised the white lines will be repainted in the next couple of weeks, and the Vehicle Activated Speed sign, which has not worked for months, will be mended or replaced.
All that said, it is rarely the road which is unsafe; it is the drivers of the cars which use it. Essex Police has informed me we’ve seen 48 fatalities on roads across Essex since the start of this year, which is almost the same as the total for all of 2024. Speeding, drug-driving, and general carelessness are major factors, and something I believe all drivers should consider when getting in the car to travel.
I understand the woman who sustained life-changing injuries in the most recent accident on Hartswood Road is making a slow recovery, and my thoughts are with her and her family. And as we head towards Christmas, in the darker days of winter, please consider whether you are fit to drive before getting into your own vehicle.
