Chichester: Drivers urged to watch out for bin crews after near misses
There has been an increase in incidents this year
There has been an increase in near misses involving bin collection crews on roads around Chichester, a council has said.
Chichester District Council has urged drivers to take extra care when driving around crews after concerns for their safety.
Councillor Mark Chilton, said: "We do all that we can to protect both our residents and waste and recycling collection crews, and a range of precautions are in place.
"Crews wear full high-vis clothing to help improve their visibility to other drivers and motorists.
"We are asking those on the district's roads to help us keep our crews safe by taking extra care when driving close to our staff and vehicles because we have seen an increase in near miss incidents reported this year.
"These are incidents where something more serious, such as harm, injury or worse could have happened but was fortunately avoided.
"Some recent examples have included a third-party driver mounting the pavement to drive around the crew and their vehicle, putting themselves, our crew, and other members of the public at risk.
"In another case, someone had not noticed or ignored the traffic management put in place for our crews to litter pick along the roadside.
"They entered the section of road that our crew had coned off, and the driver had to suddenly stop.
"If it hadn't been for the quick actions and vigilance of our operatives on these occasions, then these near misses could have been extremely serious."