Call for action over a Torquay danger junction

There are six roads but no crossings

Torbay Council is being urged to take action before near misses at a notorious Torquay road junction turn to tragedy.

The junction at the gates of Torre Abbey has six roads leading in and out, with traffic lights controlling the flow of vehicles. Walnut Road, Avenue Road, Falkland Road, The King’s Drive and the entrance road to Torre Abbey all feed into the junction, with Falkland Road coming from two directions.

Drivers turning across traffic flows have to choose their moment and find a gap, and there are no pedestrian crossings. The busy junction is close to the seafront, and families walking between guest houses and the beach have to negotiate hazardous roads.

Now Torbay Council member Cordelia Law (Lib Dem, Tormohun) wants a pedestrian crossing put in as soon as possible.

In a question she is putting to the full council meeting next week, she says: “The junction does not have a single safe pedestrian crossing. Some people using Torre Valley car park to access the abbey, events on the meadows and the seafront have reported to me that they feel unsafe to get to Torre Abbey gates.

“Indeed from my perspective the current wide layout of the junction seems to encourage drivers to take chances they wouldn’t normally take at other junctions, making it even more perilous for pedestrians to cross. Nearby residents and people who use this crossing daily – both drivers and pedestrians – have reported to me that they worry that it is only a matter of time before one of the near misses results in a tragedy.”

Cllr Law says the previous Lib Dem/Independent administration had committed to look at the crossing as part of a wider highways and road safety campaign. She wants the current Conservative administration to look at it as a priority.