‘A professional review is urgently needed before this becomes a coroner’s inquiry!’ Motorist labels roundabout works on A16 at Spalding as a ‘danger’

A motorist has labelled work on a busy A16 roundabout as ‘utter chaos and a danger’.

Alan Pattinson, a retired engineer, told LincsOnline he fears the current layout and signage at the Springfields roundabout in Spalding is ‘dangerously inadequate’.

The Swineshead resident has reported his concerns to Lincolnshire County Council and South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes, as well as sharing four key areas he believes need to be improved for the safety of road users.

Fellow readers have also shared concerns with the layout.

At present there are no traffic cones separating north and southbound traffic lanes entering and exiting the roundabout from and towards Pinchbeck’s Greencell roundabout.

Motorists heading south to the Springfields roundabout who are unfamiliar with the lay-out may think they are moving into a second lane when, in fact, this section of road is set for oncoming traffic.

Another issue raised by fellow drivers in recent weeks is the current layout which had roadside boards telling vehicles travelling straight over on the A16 to take the right-hand lanes.

A number of motorists are either naturally gravitating to left-hand lanes or attempting to cut traffic by using the inside lane, causing a number of near misses as vehicles navigate the narrow roundabout.

The four improvements Mr Pattinson’s believes are urgently needed are:

* The reduction of the speed limit to 20mph, arguing the ‘current limit is too fast for the realignment of the road’.

* The provision of clear, lit road boards in advance at each approach showing the current alignment. Mr Pattinson says ‘there is nothing preparing road users for the confusion that prevails’.

* That the diversion arrows must show the destination, because ‘multiple arrows pointing in different directions is unclear and from observation, confusing road users’.

* That the routes should be clearly and fully delineated with road cones and lights, as ‘there is nothing to make the re-aligned road clear’.

Mr Pattinson contacted LincsOnline after taking the roundabout following a recent trip.

“Returning from our holiday we passed along the A16 and encountered the dangerous roadworks on A151/A16 Springfields, Spalding,” he said.

“As the roads get busier during the school holidays the world will gaze in abject horror as they pass along the A16 with their only view of Spalding being one of utter chaos and a danger to them and their children.”

In a letter to Sir John he added: “As a chartered civil engineer (retired) I am professionally bound to ensure that this dangerous situation is corrected.

“The current layout and signage are dangerously inadequate and instant action is required to improve the safety of the operatives and other road users.

“A professional review by LCC/Highways England with Lincolnshire Police and HSE is urgently needed before this becomes a coroner’s inquiry.”

Mr Pattinson isn’t the only person to raise concerns about the roundabout, with coach driver John Fisher recently telling this website ‘there is going to be one hell of an accident’ after a few near misses.

Mr Pattinson has shared a response he has received from the authority.

In that, LCC state the 30mph limit ‘is an appropriate speed limit for this type of work’.

In response to the two issues raised regarding signage the authority said: “Some signage that would have assisted was obscured by some of the activities being undertaken”.

Replying to the suggestion routes should be fully and clearly delineated, the council said: “For this item we have identified two areas of improvement.

“Firstly, we can see cones that were not in use in coned off areas of the site. These cones that weren’t in use would have contributed to confusion around delineation, these in future will be removed.

“Secondly due to the number of activities taking place on that night the visibility around the junction was more limited. This was making it harder for road users to see the correct exits early enough to plan their way through the works.

“In future the various pieces of plant and equipment being used will be kept as far away from the traffic management as possible to increase the visibility.

“To summarise although the traffic management was compliant, we have found areas of improvement.”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below…