Satnavs hit a dead end
Lorries and other vehicles are being sent down a dead end by satellite navigation systems, putting the safety of pensioners and children at risk, it was claimed today.
Now a campaign has been launched for signs to warn motorists about the dangers of being diverted into a road blocked off at the other end.
Residents claim drivers are being sent down Offmore Lane from Chester Road North in Kidderminster and then have to reverse out again in manoeuvres which pose dangers for pedestrians and cyclists.
An ambulance was among vehicles wrongly sent down Offmore Lane leaving crews trying to open locks on bollards to reach a nearby housing estate.
An electrical goods lorry became stuck at the bottom of the road while trying to make a delivery to the Offmore Farm Estate and taxi drivers have also been left confused by the problem because of instructions from sat navs.
These incorrectly tell drivers they can reach Wordsworth Crescent and the Offmore Farm estate.
But the lane only leads to Kidderminster Cricket Club and has bollards at the bottom preventing traffic from gaining access to the estate.
Residents who attended a Police and Community Together meeting have called for something to be done.
Maria Bradley, aged 83, said today: "It is a major problem. They get all the way to the bottom and realise their mistake and then have to reverse out. I think it is dangerous for children who ride their bikes in the area and for mothers with prams."
Offmore ward councillor Fran Oborski said today she was pressing Worcestershire County Council to install warning signs, although the council said signs already advised motorists there was no access. Murray McGregor, spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said crews use sat navs, maps, and local knowledge.
