Right turn ban proposed for “dangerous” and “confusing” Crowland Bypass junction

A dangerous stretch of road which has seen four people killed since it opened in 2010 could see right hand turns banned across two junctions as part of a £78,000 experiment – despite calls for a new roundabout.

If approved by Lincolnshire County Council’s planning committee next week, the bans would apply to the A16 Crowland Bypass at the Radar Junction with the B1166 and the junction with the B1040.

According to reports before councillors, there have been 21 recorded accidents at the Radar Junction since it opened, with three resulting in a fatality and four classed as serious.

All but five of them took place during a right-turn or cross-over manoeuvre.

In September, 2018, 48-year-old Matthew Bilby was killed after riding into the path of oncoming traffic.

An inquest into his death called the junction “dangerous”, “horrendous”, “confusing” and “not fit for purpose”.

Senior coroner for Lincolnshire, Tim Brennand, said at the time: “It should, in plain terms, be a roundabout.”

It was the second coroner’s report into fatalities at the junction which said improvements were needed.

A feasibility study, published in 2018, also concluded that a roundabout would be “the scheme most likely to reduce the incidence of collisions severe in nature”.

However, the county authority has said the funding is not available to install a new roundabout, estimated to be a cost of at least £2 million, if not more, on the road.

Instead, councillors will look at banning right turns in an experiment lasting at least six months, predicted to cost £78,000.

The junction with the B1040 has had 14 recorded incidents, four of which were serious but with no fatalities.

However, the ban will still apply due to the predicted increase in traffic flow and the junction being of a similar design.

Instead, drivers will turn into Nene Terrace only.

More than 60 residents, farmers and businesses have objected to the plans, along with parish and district councils, due to concerns they will result in slower moving traffic, driver frustration and increases in high-risk overtaking manoeuvres.

“Several responses make the point that both junctions can be negotiated safely if drivers exercise patience and more care when using them,” said the reports.

They also believe that reduced connectivity to the wider road network will “isolate the town and affect access to its school, amenities and businesses”.

The report notes many objectors maintain a roundabout should be installed and call for a number of alternative solutions.

County and district councillor for Crowland Nigel Pepper who sits on the committee, however, has previously called for improvements.

The former Officer in Charge of Crowland Fire Station attended a number of serious accidents on the junction.

“Trust me, it’s not very pleasant seeing deceased in such circumstances,” he said.

He said the experiement would last for a maximum of 18 months but could be much shorter and would see a number of adaptations along the way.

“So what you see at the start would be different to what you would see at the end and yes there will unfortunately be inconvenience and disruption and this will be monitored closely.

“Traffic counts have already been taken on local roads and any increases in the amount of traffic and how it is flowing will be monitored during the experiment,” he said.

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