Taking matters into his own hands! Hero pensioner, 71, gets up at dawn and spray-paints two arrows onto road at busy roundabout where motorists nearly crash due to ‘lethal lack of markings’
- Peter Sharratt took matters into his own hands after seeing no road markings
- The 71-year-old used spray cans to hand paint markings on a Knutsford junction
- He claims the lack of road markings had created ‘a very dangerous situation’
A motorist was so fed up with a ‘lethal lack of road markings’ at a busy roundabout that he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Having witnessed several near crashes at the confusing junction, Peter Sharratt got up at dawn, donned a high vis jacket and set out to fix the road himself.
The 71-year-old retired company director armed himself with spray cans of white paint, then used his car to block off each lane he was working on, using hazard warning lights to warn approaching drivers.
He also used traffic cones as a further safety measure while painting.
Mr Sharratt, who used to own a video production company, said it took him 40 minutes to restore arrows and markings on two lanes.
Speaking of his personal crusade, which began at 4.30am on Sunday, Mr Sharratt said he set to work on the roundabout in upmarket Knutsford, Cheshire, because the lack of road markings had created ‘a very dangerous situation’.
The 71-year-old retired company director armed himself with spray cans of white paint, then used his car to block off each lane he was working on, using hazard warning lights to warn approaching drivers
He said: ‘I had witnessed a number of near-crashes on the roundabout by people not knowing which lane they should be in.
‘I regularly drive on this road and people are very confused.
‘So, on Sunday at 4.30am, equipped with a high vis jacket and a couple of cans of spray paint, I recreated what should be there – arrows to split traffic into left turning and straight-on lanes to make the roundabout safe.
‘I’m calling this ‘Mark Out To Help Out’.’
He added: ‘There was very little traffic. I managed to do two signs in 40 minutes.’
Mr Sharratt said he took action over the state of the busy roundabout, at the junction of the A50 and A5033, after being disappointed with the response when he complained to the local council, Cheshire East.
Mr Sharratt added: ‘I wrote to the council about this only to receive a perfunctory and unhelpful response. They didn’t say they were able to do anything any time soon.
‘These markings were there for a very good reason (and) urgently need doing. This work should be put at the top of their priority list.
‘It beggars belief that the council is now relying on a 71-year-old pensioner with a spray can to do the work we already pay them for.’
Another Knutsford resident, Jim Burgess, highlighted the dangers posed by the lack of markings in a letter to local newspaper, The Knutsford Guardian.
He said that when approaching the town from the south, some drivers don’t realise that the left lane at the roundabout is for turning left while the right lane is for going straight and turning right.
In his letter, Mr Burgess said: ‘The roundabout is always busy and an accident there causes significant backlogs in all directions.
‘I myself had a very near miss this week and it was only an emergency stop on my part which avoided an accident.’
He urged the council to renew the road markings ‘as a matter of urgency before there is a really serious accident.’
Cheshire East Council have been approached for comment.
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