Teacher’s journey home can take EIGHT times longer because of Glass Houghton tip queues

A frustrated resident says she is being forced to “fight tooth and nail” daily just to reach her front door due to traffic jams from the nearby recycling centre.
Kendall Harriman claims it can take up to two hours to reach her home due to long queues to the nearby recycling centre. Picture Scott MerryleesKendall Harriman claims it can take up to two hours to reach her home due to long queues to the nearby recycling centre. Picture Scott Merrylees
Kendall Harriman claims it can take up to two hours to reach her home due to long queues to the nearby recycling centre. Picture Scott Merrylees

Kendal Harriman says that since the tip at Glass Houghton re-opened after the first lockdown, long queues often snake out of the site on Flass Lane, and along Bruce Smeaton Way, blocking access to the Falbrook estate where she lives.

Out of desperation, the 23-year-old, who works as a teaching assistant at Kingsland Primary School in Stanley, says she has even contacted the police.

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The usual 15-minute journey home from work can often take up to eight times longer, with most of it spent just a few hundred yards from her home.

She said: “I have had to queue for two hours just to get into my own home, there is no staff directing the traffic, and they are allowing all of the traffic to pile out onto the main road.

“I had to ring the police to come out just so I could get into my home.

“It is a disgrace, they need more staff working there to keep the traffic moving. Every holiday period is even worse, in fact it is horrendous.

“I could just sit in my car and cry.

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“If this year hasn’t been bad enough, I have to fight tooth and nail every day to go home.

”I work long hours so at the weekend when I have to go out in my car to do the food shop, I have to fight just to get into my estate.

“It’s getting to the point I dread going out because I know I won’t be able to get back home.”

Miss Harriman says a better traffic management system needs putting in place, or another entrance or exit.

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She says that everyone living on the Fallbrook estate is feeling the same about the situation and is pleading with the council to look at the way it handles the traffic.

She says the situation has got progressively worse since she moved in two years ago, and has deteriorated further since the recycling centres reopened after the lockdown.

Weekends are usually worse, and bank holidays and other holiday periods have seen massive queues waiting to get into the centre.

Miss Harrman added: “I shouldn’t have to wait for hours on end and something needs doing.

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“Whilst queuing I have been given verbal abuse as I am trying to get by them.

“It is a hazard. If any of our houses were on fire the fire brigade wouldn’t be able to get down to my estate.

“I would have to die before they came to us.”

Streetscene director for Wakefield Council, Gary Blenkinsop, said the council was aware of the problem.

He said: “There have been some physical changes made to allow more vehicles to queue on site, and to try and get as many cars off the road as possible. We will continue to monitor the situation but ask people to please not wait or queue on the highway.

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“We are advising people to only go to the centres if it’s essential. The centres are exceptionally busy at the moment so try and avoid peak weekend times if possible and consider using the South Kirkby facility which is less busy and causes less disruption to local residents and road users.”