October 3, 2022 4.40 pm This story is over 20 months old

New speed limit for A15 near Bourne, despite bus company objections

Councillors voted to override company’s concerns
The A15 northbound between Northorpe and Bourne | Photo: Google

A section of the A15 near Bourne will have its speed limit reduced following a series of accidents, despite “rich” objections from a local bus company.

Lincolnshire County Council’s Planning and Regulation Committee voted in favour of bringing a stretch of road between Northorpe and Bourne from 50mph to 40mph on Monday.

Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership asked for a review of the area after a series of accidents including the death of an 80-year-old woman in a three-vehicle collision last December.

A local bus company had objected saying that they utilised the areas of unrestricted roads to catch up on their time tables and suggesting 50mph as more suitable.

However, Councillor Robert Reid said the parish council had been lobbying for change “for a long time now”.

“I don’t quite understand how the local buses really catch up on this particular stretch in the manner they say they do,” he said.

Councillor Nigel Pepper added: “The fact that the Road Safety Partnership has brought this to our attention says something – it is a dangerous stretch of road.”

He pointed to several incidents involving buses on the road, adding: “It illustrates there is a mixed usage on this road with children, cyclists, buses… this is the right decision.

“I do find it a little bit rich from a bus company to say this is a small stretch where we’d like to increase speed, it’s only about half a mile, when you think of the history of what’s gone on.”

Councillor Alison Austin said there had a been a lot of new developments, including highway attempts to divert traffic around Bourne, and said some of those encouraged speeds.

“As for buses, having trailed behind two on my way here, they don’t seem too bothered about what their speed is, so I don’t think their objection is viable,” she added.

Investigations found the average speed on that part of the A15 is only 42mph.

Councillors queried why the planned limit did not go up to a nearby roundabout, however, officers said that traffic there was slow and that the limit gave drivers a bit of time to adjust as they came off it.