Mum's plea after near-miss at Boot Hill junction

10:00am Saturday 18th August 2012 in Local News By Rachael Burnett

Hannah Webster and her children Anthonia, right, and Holiday Hannah Webster and her children Anthonia, right, and Holiday

A MOTHER-OF-TWO who was nearly run over at the Boot Hill junction is appealing for the controversial layout to be changed.

Hannah Webster says she and her two daughters, Anthonia, 11, and Holiday, three, are lucky to be alive after they were almost hit by a car as they were trying to cross Westwey Road.

She said: “We were on the traffic island crossing towards the Jobcentre, we waited for the green man and then went across the road.

“Luckily I looked up and saw a black car coming straight towards us with no intention of stopping.

“It swerved around us and I pulled the children out of the way.

“If I hadn’t looked up when I did we would all be history.”

The 38-year-old added: “I was really shaken, we all were, I feel like crying whenever I talk about it.

“The police came out and when I told them what had happened they couldn’t believe the driver didn’t stop.

“The car definitely must have gone through a red light but the junction is really dangerous with all those crossings.

“Anyone with a buggy or an elderly person is really vulnerable.”

Ms Webster, of Knightsdale Road, said: “Someone will get killed because of those lights, we were lucky to escape with our lives.

“They were obviously driving dangerously but that junction is always mayhem.

“The system is ridiculous, it’s so confusing for drivers, they can’t see the lights for the crossing until right at the last minute.

“The council should really look at it and bring back the roundabout, as long as it’s like this people’s lives are at risk.”

She added: “It’s so unbelievably dangerous, it’s frightening.

“You can’t say all the drivers in Weymouth are bad, the fault is with the junction.

“I tried to take down the number plate but in all the confusion I didn’t get it right.

“It was definitely a black hatchback car, maybe a VW Golf, with several young guys in it.”

Ms Webster said she was appealing to anyone who has any information on the driver to contact Dorset Police, quoting incident number I21-390.

Comments(46)

ksmain says...
10:19am Sat 18 Aug 12

The way I am reading this is that it sounds as though someone either jumped the Red Light opposite or wasnt paying attention or was driving too fast.

Doubt if you can base this on the set up of the lights (even though they are rubbish).

Feel that this is a bit of a non-story.

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satisfecho says...
10:24am Sat 18 Aug 12

Non-story, just an excuse to pick fault.

Cars jump red lights at traffic lights up and down the junction every hour every day.

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Presstostop says...
10:27am Sat 18 Aug 12

There was a collision at this junction yesterday lunch time, any connection?

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Mr-tumble says...
10:34am Sat 18 Aug 12

I nearly had all the numbers on the euro millions last night, therefore can I claim my winning please!

Even if a green man is showing at a crossing you must still look to see if it is clear, there are lots of crazy drivers out there, and this junction proves it!

The driver is to blame, not the lights! Instead of telling the echo report the driver to the police!

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raymanta says...
11:27am Sat 18 Aug 12

Once again, nothing to do with the junction. Everything to do with selfish drivers who ignore red lights and speed through the junction every day. Its about time that the police made a few examples of these people.

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Top Gear says...
11:32am Sat 18 Aug 12

Always use the Green Cross Code.

1.THINK! Find the safest place to cross, then stop.
2.STOP! Stand on the pavement near the kerb.
3.USE YOUR EYES AND EARS! Look all around for traffic, and listen.
4.WAIT UNTIL IT'S SAFE TO CROSS! If traffic is coming, let it pass.
5.LOOK AND LISTEN! When it's safe, walk straight across the road.
6.ARRIVE ALIVE! Keep looking and listening

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portlandboy says...
11:36am Sat 18 Aug 12

Clearly the driver WAS reported to the police, since the "story" mentions that they turned up and were surprised that the driver didn't stop. What surprises me is that 1. the police DID turn up after nobody was injured, and 2. THEY were surprised that the driver didn't stop. Maybe they ought to do more walking than driving - you see so much more of life that way.

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siratb says...
12:12pm Sat 18 Aug 12

It has everything to do with the junction. There are so many lights and lanes prior to this crossing and it is not immediately obvious which lane one must be in and this confuses drivers. The lights themselves are confusing and this will lead to more accidents. To have another set of lights (i.e. crossing) so close is an accident waiting to happen. Luckily it didn't happen this time.

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satisfecho says...
12:26pm Sat 18 Aug 12

siratb wrote:
It has everything to do with the junction. There are so many lights and lanes prior to this crossing and it is not immediately obvious which lane one must be in and this confuses drivers. The lights themselves are confusing and this will lead to more accidents. To have another set of lights (i.e. crossing) so close is an accident waiting to happen. Luckily it didn't happen this time.
If this junction is to blame, then there is a problem with every set of traffic lights in the country.

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siratb says...
12:35pm Sat 18 Aug 12

You can have lights, and then confusing lights. To have right turn lanes where you have to bear left first is stupid. To have one set of lights half a mile away with a green filter arrow and then to have another set without a green filter arrow is confusing and dangerous. To have an overwhelming number of lights for different traffic also adds to the confusion. I have lived here for 43 years, and been a member of the IAM for 25 years and I still don't find that junction intuitive.

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MattWey77 says...
1:03pm Sat 18 Aug 12

The key thing should be if the junction looks confusing (I am not saying it is), then drives should slow down and take even more care when passing through it.

That said I was waiting by the Law Courts the other day and I watched a trained Ambulance driver fly through some red lights - there is no way that driver dropped into first gear and proceeded with caution. Granted this was early on a Sunday morning, so there wasn't that much traffic about...

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wurzelbasher says...
2:30pm Sat 18 Aug 12

The roundabout will probably be reinstated one day but not until there have been a few nasty accidents to justify the expense.

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ksmain says...
3:07pm Sat 18 Aug 12

Sorry, but as much as I hate this junction, I cant see that this has anything to do with anything else other than improper road practice (especially seeing the incorrect lane discipline used by a number of road users round here).

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ohec says...
3:11pm Sat 18 Aug 12

MattWey77 wrote:
The key thing should be if the junction looks confusing (I am not saying it is), then drives should slow down and take even more care when passing through it.

That said I was waiting by the Law Courts the other day and I watched a trained Ambulance driver fly through some red lights - there is no way that driver dropped into first gear and proceeded with caution. Granted this was early on a Sunday morning, so there wasn't that much traffic about...
Are you mental or something whats all this rubbish about dropping into first gear and proceeding with caution, I owe my life to those Ambulance drivers and i can assure you had they dropped into first gear and proceeded with caution i would not be hear now. You are a total idiot and i hope you never require the services of an emergency ambulance and if you do don't forget to remind them to drop into first gear and proceed with caution when you come to traffic lights.

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Top Gear says...
4:51pm Sat 18 Aug 12

If an ambulance driver goes through a red light and causes an accident they would be liable and could be sued. Its entirely up to the driver how fast they go through red lights. I wouldn't want to drive through a red light at top speed.

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Never Wrong says...
6:54pm Sat 18 Aug 12

I Cannot see the problem with this junction,all it needs to drive with caution and read the signs.
The call for the roundabout is only from the bad drivers who have no patience and cannot wait in line.
This news is all about a red light jumper nothing else!

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AALLEEXX says...
7:09pm Sat 18 Aug 12

Junctions are a joke tbh, I saw first hand a white people carrier drive down the wrong side just earlier, nearly hit an on coming car!!

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kimeter says...
7:15pm Sat 18 Aug 12

This red light incident could happen anywhere, as pedestrians we should still be on our guard.
The trouble with all the traffic light junctions in Weymouth is that people use them as a race track. Instead of merging in turn they've just got to put their foot down and cut you up no matter what lane you're in. Boot Hill in the worse of the three...

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Merrittpr says...
8:56pm Sat 18 Aug 12

This incident must have really scared all those involved so my first thoughts are with them. It does indeed sound like it was a close call. Thankfully nobody was physically injured but it certainly must have caused trauma at the time.

With regards to the junction plenty of people mention how dangerous it is but in reality how many accidents have there been there been since it was changed? I'm sure if it was shown, by evidence, to be dangerous then it should be reviewed and changes adopted.

On a personal note I find the junction fairly straight forward, as long as you know that you still have to give priority to other traffic on certain occasions.

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martaaay2 says...
9:29pm Sat 18 Aug 12

Ive seen something very similar to this happen on more than one occasion, it was caused by the first set of lights heading northbound through the junction being green then the pedestrian set changing to red, it comes down to concerntration on behalf of the driver - however its a very unusual situation for a set of lights to turn from red to green then another set 3 metres on then turn back to red about 2 seconds later (after releasing traffic acros the junction) to allow pedestrians to cross. you would think they would be linked to prevent this situation happening but it doesnt seem so

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wessex-andy says...
10:10pm Sat 18 Aug 12

I never realised that it was necessary for a driver to stop when they don't have an accident.

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portlandboy says...
10:26am Sun 19 Aug 12

wessex-andy wrote:
I never realised that it was necessary for a driver to stop when they don't have an accident.
To be honest, it seems to be compulsory when driving in Weymouth!

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raymanta says...
10:42am Sun 19 Aug 12

Junctions are a joke tbh, I saw first hand a white people carrier drive down the wrong side just earlier, nearly hit an on coming car!!
What has this to do with the junction?
Bad driving yet again.

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Merrittpr says...
11:05am Sun 19 Aug 12

martaaay2 wrote:
Ive seen something very similar to this happen on more than one occasion, it was caused by the first set of lights heading northbound through the junction being green then the pedestrian set changing to red, it comes down to concerntration on behalf of the driver - however its a very unusual situation for a set of lights to turn from red to green then another set 3 metres on then turn back to red about 2 seconds later (after releasing traffic acros the junction) to allow pedestrians to cross. you would think they would be linked to prevent this situation happening but it doesnt seem so
This happened in front of me. The car turned left and was not sure whether to stop at the set of red lights for the crossing, luckily they did as people were stepping out on it. So much for intelligence on these lights, I think motorists are surprised to go through a green only to stop so soon at a red. You really think they would be linked in some way to prevent you turning left I guess. Like I say tho, no action will be taken until they are deemed a danger, that is, someone gets hit and injured.

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AALLEEXX says...
6:22pm Sun 19 Aug 12

raymanta wrote:
Junctions are a joke tbh, I saw first hand a white people carrier drive down the wrong side just earlier, nearly hit an on coming car!!
What has this to do with the junction?
Bad driving yet again.
Because they're confusing, not bad driving if somebody nearly kills themselves.

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ManOnTheSilverMountain says...
10:17pm Sun 19 Aug 12

Shouldn't she be asking for better driving standards from drivers, as clearly that's the problem here...

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-Wingl- says...
12:20pm Mon 20 Aug 12

Walking through town on Sunday night. One thing very noticeable... speeding drivers, a lot of them. I'm not talking about 5 mph over limit either. Two of which was having a great time spinning their wheels. I wish I had a large exhaust...vrooom vrooom.

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Monmouthsman says...
1:22pm Mon 20 Aug 12

Must admit to being surprised when proceeding across this junction on a green light to be faced with a red light at a pedestrian crossing just several metres off the junction which also caught out the vehicles following me and blocked the junction. Would have to agree that those vehicles should have been able to stop clear of the boxed area but the bad lines of visibility coupled with the short times when lights are green and the overall business of this unusual junction do not support the making of sound driving decisions by even good drivers.

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Taxpayinglocal says...
5:18pm Mon 20 Aug 12

Im a taxi driver, i drive to London airports on a regular weekly airports, so i know my roads, and heavy traffic and junctions in middle of London during rush hour. I can confirm this set of lights is terrible, the way the roads come into it is NOT suitable to be light controlled, as we have found out, infact its perfect for a roundabout with the peculiar angles the roads are coming from etc. Not like junction at abbotsbury road thats different, its easy and simple, its like a crossroads SIMPLE, BUT the asda junction is a joke, driving all day for my job i have seen ppl nearly get run over on the crossing going up boothill numerous times, i have been theres minites after a "death" (RIP) occured just on the crossing asda end, i have also seen 8-9 bumps, and 2 side swipes (t bars). I have pictures of about half these incidents, and shown them to the council who just say we have heard about this. So to say you have heard of no accident is your own ignorance, the real people who work out on the open on the roads see this all day every day. Infact its disgusting they leave it like it is, its tragic and sorrowsome, but obviously someone cant be bothered to sort it out. Im doing my part, taking evidence on my phone, what are you doing?

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FranklyMisterShankly says...
9:37pm Mon 20 Aug 12

Taxpayinglocal wtf are you doing taking photos whilst driving?

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Taxpayinglocal says...
5:04am Tue 21 Aug 12

Are you seriously asking that question, think about it. I have taken pictures of about HALF of these incidents, because, the traffic completely stopped because there was an accident, people getting out cars etc. The other half happened on other side, so the traffic i was in still moved, so i didnt get pictures of that, in the future dont try and be so cocky with smart **** replies. Thank you

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Taxpayinglocal says...
5:06am Tue 21 Aug 12

Are you seriously asking that question, think about it. I have taken pictures of about HALF of these incidents, because, the traffic completely stopped because there was an accident, people getting out cars etc giving me the chance to take a snap. The other half happened on other side, so the traffic i was in still moved, so i didnt get pictures of that (as it would be dangerous to use phone whilst still operating a vehicle), in the future dont try and be so cocky with smart **** replies. Thank you

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scubadude says...
10:47am Tue 21 Aug 12

The article is pure garbage- trying to blame a road for a driver going through a Red Light! Who edits this nonsense?
The "blame" in this case is with the unknown driver- no one else. The junction isn't wonderful but its just a junction, I drove to Oxford at the weekend and passed through at least 5 similar and equally simple/confusing junctions enroute- I'm sorry but if you can't cope with the ASDA junction in any direction you ought to hand your license in to protect the rest of us!

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Laughing gnome says...
11:34am Tue 21 Aug 12

Totally agree Scubadude.

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satisfecho says...
11:34am Tue 21 Aug 12

scubadude wrote:
The article is pure garbage- trying to blame a road for a driver going through a Red Light! Who edits this nonsense?
The "blame" in this case is with the unknown driver- no one else. The junction isn't wonderful but its just a junction, I drove to Oxford at the weekend and passed through at least 5 similar and equally simple/confusing junctions enroute- I'm sorry but if you can't cope with the ASDA junction in any direction you ought to hand your license in to protect the rest of us!
I am glad someone else has finally admitted that there are other junctions in the country you have to approach with caution.

To be honest, all junctions should be taken with caution.

A junction that is easy to navigate is just as liable for an accident as there would be more drivers taking a blase attitude when approaching.

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portlandboy says...
11:41am Tue 21 Aug 12

What I find odd regarding the close proximity of the traffic controls and the crossing controls is that when a road needs to be worked on near a set of permanent traffic lights, using temporary traffic lights, the permanent ones have to be turned off to prevent the danger of too many different lights or any additional traffic hold-ups. Having pedestrian crossings so close to the traffic controls, yet not working with the traffic controls, seems to contradict that rule.

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paddyash says...
3:52pm Tue 21 Aug 12

bring back the roundabout, i sooooo miss the tacky lit up reindeer at xmas lol x

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Taxpayinglocal says...
3:53pm Tue 21 Aug 12

ITs quite obvious this junction is dangerous, no-one has problems with the abbotsbury road junction, why? because its not dangerous everything works like a crossroads like most other junctions in the country. Merge in lane yes may attract a couple boy racers who think they won a F1 race if they merge in front, but its a solid crossroad junction, yet Asdas always having little accidents, a death, knocks and ppl nearly being run over, you dont need to be Sherlock Holmes to realise its a very dangerous junction.

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Iona says...
7:50pm Tue 21 Aug 12

scubadude wrote:
The article is pure garbage- trying to blame a road for a driver going through a Red Light! Who edits this nonsense? The "blame" in this case is with the unknown driver- no one else. The junction isn't wonderful but its just a junction, I drove to Oxford at the weekend and passed through at least 5 similar and equally simple/confusing junctions enroute- I'm sorry but if you can't cope with the ASDA junction in any direction you ought to hand your license in to protect the rest of us!
You and the gnome-brain that agreed with you, need to understand that not all roads are as safe as each other. For example, you may have heard of "accident black-spots". The accident rates in UK have been going down year on year in large part due to better road design. Clearly, this junction is a bad design.
.
I expect that that young family were frightened terribly yet feel lucky to have been a near miss.
.
I am sure the hoons that were driving know how close they came to killing or maiming. Perhaps they care, or perhaps not.
.
I hope signs are put up warning drivers to take extra care, plus, I would like to see police red-light cameras installed.

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Hedgehogspring says...
3:25pm Wed 22 Aug 12

AALLEEXX wrote:
Junctions are a joke tbh, I saw first hand a white people carrier drive down the wrong side just earlier, nearly hit an on coming car!!
Why is it necessary to mention the colour of the people in the car. Seems a bit racist.

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Weston7 says...
11:17pm Wed 22 Aug 12

Fact: Statistically, signalised junctions have more injury accidents than roundabouts. That's why most of the world is converting the other way.

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Laadeeda says...
10:59am Fri 24 Aug 12

As has been said. This is a bad driver story and NOT a bad crossing tale.

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AALLEEXX says...
12:14pm Fri 24 Aug 12

Hedgehogspring wrote:
AALLEEXX wrote:
Junctions are a joke tbh, I saw first hand a white people carrier drive down the wrong side just earlier, nearly hit an on coming car!!
Why is it necessary to mention the colour of the people in the car. Seems a bit racist.
oh you ;)

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niceonecyril says...
10:26am Tue 28 Aug 12

siratb wrote:
It has everything to do with the junction. There are so many lights and lanes prior to this crossing and it is not immediately obvious which lane one must be in and this confuses drivers. The lights themselves are confusing and this will lead to more accidents. To have another set of lights (i.e. crossing) so close is an accident waiting to happen. Luckily it didn't happen this time.
Another idiot

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niceonecyril says...
10:31am Tue 28 Aug 12

Taxpayinglocal wrote:
Im a taxi driver, i drive to London airports on a regular weekly airports, so i know my roads, and heavy traffic and junctions in middle of London during rush hour. I can confirm this set of lights is terrible, the way the roads come into it is NOT suitable to be light controlled, as we have found out, infact its perfect for a roundabout with the peculiar angles the roads are coming from etc. Not like junction at abbotsbury road thats different, its easy and simple, its like a crossroads SIMPLE, BUT the asda junction is a joke, driving all day for my job i have seen ppl nearly get run over on the crossing going up boothill numerous times, i have been theres minites after a "death" (RIP) occured just on the crossing asda end, i have also seen 8-9 bumps, and 2 side swipes (t bars). I have pictures of about half these incidents, and shown them to the council who just say we have heard about this. So to say you have heard of no accident is your own ignorance, the real people who work out on the open on the roads see this all day every day. Infact its disgusting they leave it like it is, its tragic and sorrowsome, but obviously someone cant be bothered to sort it out. Im doing my part, taking evidence on my phone, what are you doing?
You shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a road, let alone driving a taxi, tell me something on your way to 'London airports' how many sets of light junctions do you encounter on the M27, M3, M25, M4 ? And I am one of the 'real' people who actually do more driving in a week than you do in a month, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this junction, just incompetent drivers like yourself !

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Weston7 says...
5:50pm Tue 28 Aug 12

@ niceonecyril:- Then explain why statistically more accidents occur at signalised junctions than on roundabouts on roads with similar flows. There IS much wrong with this junction and I'm surprised that such an experienced driver as you cannot see it. Are you one of those that thinks highway design and and traffic engineering have no bearing on road safety?

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