8,000 sign petition against Tollbar Roundabout replacement

Campaigners have handed in a petition of almost 8,000 signatures against plans to remove Tollbar Roundabout near Grimsby.

The plans from North East Lincolnshire Council would see the roundabout on the A16 at New Waltham removed and replaced with traffic lights at a cost of £2.1 million.

It comes as senior councils accused opposition members of playing ‘political football’ over child endangerment as the controversial issue continues.

Plans were returned to the drawing board following a petition by Conservative John Fenty but have yet to go again before cabinet.

The petition was handed in on Friday by more than 20 members of the Tollbar Action Group, joined by MP Martin Vickers, chairman of the Tollbar Academy Trust Philip Bond and six ward councillors.

Campaign group leader and New Waltham parish councillor Roger Breed called on the council to look again at the plans adding that the group has issues with some of the figures used by the council.

“It would cause chaos and traffic pollution. 

“Traffic lights do cause speeding traffic, they increase traffic speeds. Roundabouts slow traffic down because they are a physical barrier, traffic lights are not a physical barrier.”

At the authority’s full council meeting the previous night, Labour Councillor Matthew Patrick, portfolio holder for transport, accused opponents of playing ‘political football’ following a question about safety measures.

Liberal Democrat Philip Jackson had asked whether things such as school crossing patrols could be introduced to ‘mitigate the risk of potential pedestrian safety’.

Councillor Patrick told members that it was not standard practice to provide a crossing for secondary schools across the country and that officers had not found such a scenario elsewhere.

He added though that he had asked for processes around crossing patrols to be looked at adding: “I’m sure we can also explore a member’s wish for a crossing patrol where appropriate.

However he said: “If Councillor Jackson feels strongly about it, he’s trying to use the issue of child endangerment as a political football, which is disgraceful.”

An NELC spokesperson said: “We have received the petition about Tollbar roundabout. It will now be assessed in line with the usual process.”

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