Watford motorists have picked out these roads as the town’s most dangerous, with reports of speeding, near-misses, and crashes.
Most of the results from asking those in the town about the hotspots in their area will likely come as no surprise to many of those who drive in the town.
Answers ranged from particular problem junctions with poor sightlines to open routes which careless drivers bomb down like they are racetracks, as well as some which have both.
See the 5 roads and junctions below:
A405 between the A41 and St Albans Road
The Observer has given a lot of coverage to this stretch of A-road, because there have been so many recent crashes there.
Specifically, the junction with Greenwood Drive is known as one of the town’s biggest accident blackspots.
Those hoping to turn right out of Greenwood Drive must first cross over two lanes of 50mph traffic and then stop in a small waiting place between the carriageways if eastbound traffic is coming.
Worse, foliage on either side limits visibility and residents say vehicles already on the A405 regularly speed.
Earlier this year, the county council promised an “urgent review” of the junction.
Courtlands Drive junction with Hempstead Road
Changes are also planned for the second most popular choice, but more cars are expected to start using it at the same time.
The junction of Courtlands Drive and Hempstead Road has been described as “a nightmare” by motorists, particularly when turning right out of Courtlands Drive.
When a developer was given permission to build 54 homes around a kilometre further down Hempstead Road, it agreed to contribute to widening the carriageway to open up the junction.
Phillipers
In the Meriden area, there is much concern around speeding in Phillipers, between York Way and The Gossamers.
It had previously been infamous for the dangerous York Way junction during building works there, but more recently readers describe speedsters who “all think they’re Lewis Hamilton”.
It was suggested that making it a 20mph zone or introducing speed bumps could help solve the issue.
Whippendell Road area
This area of West Watford can have serious problems on the roads due to the number of parked vehicles. Whippendell Road and its surrounding streets are densely packed with houses and are not all that wide.
Add the “dodgy parking” described by residents and visitors to the business in the road into the mix and it can be tough to pass through safely.
The M1 and A41 by Bushey
Motorways and major roads are always likely to see a lot of prominent crashes, however complaints from readers particularly focussed on the stretch past Bushey.
Berrygrove Interchange and Stephenson Road from the interchange towards Radlett Road see a lot of accidents.
Meanwhile, coming on and off the A41, Hartspring Roundabout by the Toby Carvery can be chaotic because it is so busy and the traffic-light controlled A41 junction with Sandy Lane by the McDonald’s nevertheless also sees more than its fair share of crashes.
