July 6, 2020 3.15 pm This story is over 43 months old

Councillors reject controversial Crowland junction experiment

Bid to curb accident hotspot

Councillors have rejected a controversial right-hand turn ban on two “dangerous” and “confusing” Crowland junctions.

The £78,000 experiment by Lincolnshire County Council would have seen the bans apply to the A16 Crowland Bypass at the Radar Junction with the B1166 and the junction with the B1040.

Councillors instead opted to look at reducing the speed limit on the road, and refreshing or reviewing the current signage.

The stretch of road has seen 21 recorded collisions 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.

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

The similarly designed junction with the B1040 will also be subject to the bans.

Local residents, councillors and businesses had decried the plans which they said would isolate Crowland and ruin businesses.

Councillors went on a site visit following a meeting in March – however, due to the COVID-19 outbreak they were unable to meet again until Monday.

Councillor Tom Ashton said: “It was a useful exercise to look into the sheer amount of traffic, but I’m not convinced this is the right solution in this place.

“In fact, I think it would probably do as much harm to local people who use those junctions as good that they would do.”

Councillor Nigel Pepper added: “Local businesses were struggling prior to the outbreak, now they’re literally on their knees and the report says the severance and financial losses are potentially severe.”

A feasibility study published in 2018 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 at the time to cost at least £2 million, but since rising to more than £4 million.