A 71-year-old pensioner has taken it upon himself to spraypaint arrows back on the roads (Image: Peter Sharratt / SWNS)
A 71-year-old pensioner took matters into his own hands after becoming frustrated by the inaction of his local council and spray painted road markings himself at daybreak. Peter Sharratt voiced concerns about the “lethal lack of markings” near a well-known junction which had seen a number of crashes.
Several months earlier, the markings were removed as roadworks took place near the A50 and A5033 junction in Knutsford, Cheshire, and had not been reinstated.
Motivated by witnessing numerous close calls, Mr Sharratt took action by heading out at dawn to spray arrows which indicated the lanes for motorists.
Wearing a high visibility jacket, he rose early, armed himself with cans of white paint, and used his car to block off each lane he worked on, using his car’s hazard warning lights as way of being ‘safe’.
He also used traffic cones as an additional precaution while painting on the road surface.
Mr Sharratt took action by venturing out at dawn to spray arrows back on the roads (Image: Peter Sharratt / SWNS)
Over ther course of 40 minutes, the former owner of a video production company successfully reinstated arrows and markings on two lanes.
He started painting the arrows back on at first light on Sunday.
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.”
After lodging a complaint with the local council, Cheshire East, and receiving an unsatisfactory response, he decided to take matters into his own hand.
He said: “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.
He replaced the A50 and A5033 in Knutsford, Cheshire (Image: Peter Sharratt / SWNS)
“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.”
In a letter to the local newspaper, The Knutsford Guardian, another resident, Jim Burgess, drew attention to the potential issues caused by the lack of markings.
He emphasised drivers approaching the town from the south often fail to recognise the correct purpose of each lane at the roundabout.
Specifically, some drivers are unaware the left lane is intended for left turns, while the right lane is meant for travelling straight on or making right turns.
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”.
However, Cheshire East Council has deemed Mr Sharratt’s actions “unwise” and he would have been held responsible in the event of any accidents occurring during his road marking activities.
He embarked on his personal campaign at 4:30 am on Sunday, targeting the roundabout (Image: Peter Sharratt / SWNS)
The markings were removed during nearby roadworks several months ago (Image: Peter Sharratt / SWNS)
The council further stated the works at the roundabout are planned for a later date this month.
A spokesperson said: “Mr Sharratt may feel his actions in spray painting his own road markings were well motivated, however, this was a dangerous action, which placed himself and other road users at risk.
“It was an unwise thing to do and in the event of any incidents, then the onus of responsibility would fall on the individual, in this case Mr Sharratt.
“The council has already scheduled works at this roundabout junction to reinstate existing road markings and undertake additional patching works, which will be carried out at the end of this month.
“The council identifies work through an asset management approach and, due to limited budgets available, we have to prioritise work across the borough.
“In addition, the council has invested additional money into the highways budget, and this has seen the road marking budget increase for 2022/23 and 2023/24.”
