High Peak Liberal Democrats
Lesley Rollings
Last Sunday, I drove past the Corringham Road junction on Thorndike Way, passing yet another accident. Several people have been killed and badly injured here and local people have repeatedly asked that the junction be made safe with either a roundabout or traffic lights. Thousands of pounds has been spent altering it, but never making the changes that have been regularly called for by those who use the junction. There is a 60mph sign on it almost exactly at the point where people have been killed or badly hurt. Why? A County Highways spokesman said, 'This is one of the few stretches of dual carriageway in Lincolnshire and we don't want to slow the traffic down on it!' When asked why lower speed limits cannot be put in place they are told that not enough people have died or been injured. In Lincolnshire there is a sense that the cars and the council own the roads not the people.
Similar appeals for change have been made to the junction at the bottom of Thonock Hill/ Morton Corner. We've all seen young people dicing with death trying to get across this road. Where are they supposed to cross? Is anyone listening?
Just over the river, it is impossible to drive faster than 50 mph without receiving a speeding fine, but on our side of the river there are no restrictions. It's hard to believe we live in the same country. I only heard about the 4th Lincolnshire Local Transport Plan consultation document by accident this week. The consultation document is evidence that any work on cycle ways, road junctions, bus routes and rail provision is ad hoc. If you would like to have your say then either complete the form online or you can collect it at the WLDC Guildhall or from Gainsborough Town Council, Richmond House. It does have a space for "other comments" and I appeal for residents to fill the space with your own ideas. The more responses County Hall receive the more likely they are to take notice of us, as happened earlier this year with town buses. Despite being a district councillor for 7 years, I have never been consulted on transport plans. Gainsborough suffers from not having a proper transport plan. For example, there is no plan for connected cycle routes around the town.
Using powers given to parish councils in the new Localism Act I shall ask the Town Council to lead on the development of a community transport plan to be submitted to County Hall for inclusion in their Local Transport Plan. In the meantime, the not so well publicised LCC transport consultation survey needs to be completed by Friday 27th July. You can access it on http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/ltp4.
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