Popped up to Halfords in Frome earlier to buy some chain lube for my Scotland trip. As I was parking I witnessed an altercation between two customers/drivers in the area of the shared carpark next to Homebase. One was leaving and the other was arriving. The driver leaving was in the right hand lane clearly marked with a white arrow showing direction of flow and a right turn. The left lane showing the same direction of flow and a left turn to basically return around the car park. Clearly a one way system. But here comes the interesting bit, there is no no entry sign showing drivers of vehicles arriving that there is no left turn, hence the second driver nearly ploughed into the departing vehicle. As this is not the first time I have observed a near miss at this particular spot, and neither driver was to blame in this instance, I decided to take it upon myself to pick up the cudgels and raise my concern with whoever was responsible for the safety of customers using said carpark. First port of call was Homebase. The manager of the DIY giant informed me that the carpark was rented and despite raising the matter with their landlord, he (the landlord) did not accept it was a potential hazard and it posed no risk to carpark users. Moreover, the manager did not accept my assertion that the store had a duty to ensure the safety of its customers when entering the car park. Next stop, the police station and a long wait as Frome station is now an appointment only service (not an issue for clairvoyants) but save that one for another day. According to the police, issues relating to private carparks do not come under their jurisdiction despite the fact that it is used by the public. By this time the dog has got a tight grip of the bone and he ain't letting go. Homebase in Frome has just undergone a £1 million refit and God knows how much rent the landlord rakes in and between them they can't come up with a couple of hundred quid to either scrub the one way system arrows or erect a no enrty sign. I have exhausted all avenues in an attempt to prevent an accident which is waiting to happen, so media exposure next with the aim of shaming those responsible into taking action. Local rag is closed for the weekend, but I left my number with a brief description of my complaint. If that fails I still have a few more aces up my sleeve. This needs sorting.
