Calls reignited for Whaplode bypass after speeder clocked doing 75mph and figures show camera is one of Lincolnshire’s busiest

Campaigners say dangerous levels of speeding through a village — including one ‘irresponsible’ driver clocked at 75 mph in a 30 mph limit — have sharpened the the need for a bypass on safety grounds.

The speed camera in High Road, Whaplode, is one of the busiest in Lincolnshire with 4,822 incidents of speeding recorded over the last year, a Freedom of Information request submitted by this website has found.

Data released by Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has also revealed that the top speed registered by the busy camera was someone driving 45 mph over the village’s 30mph speed limit.

Every day thousands of vehicles - including lorries - rumble through Whaplode as the village is dissected by the busy A151 and this has prompted calls for a bypass by residents and councillors over many years.

But so far their calls have been unheeded and the latest attempt for a bypass was not progressed by Lincolnshire County Council after a feasibility study found that it would be unlikely to attract government funding.

County councillor Peter Coupland is continuing to fight for a bypass — and average speed cameras — and has described the 75 mph speeder as ‘totally unacceptable and irresponsible’.

He said: “With vehicle numbers along High Road, Whaplode, increasing over the past few years to nearly five million a year, we now see one of the highest numbers of speeding motorists caught at a single speed camera in Lincolnshire is in Whaplode.

“A northern bypass of the village will undoubtedly reduce the number of speeders and danger as vehicle numbers through the village will drastically reduce, thus improving road safety and the living environment for villagers.”

A feasibility study conducted last year concluded that constructing a three mile bypass from Delgate Bank in Weston to the A17 near Holbeach would have an estimated cost of £87.4million and would result in diverting high voltage pylons. It also concluded that it would save motorists 20 to 30 seconds - a figure which has been disputed by Coun Coupland.

Coun Coupland, who estimated the time saving for a bypass would be more like three minutes, and is calling for a reform of the Ministry of Transport policy guidelines, will be holding a public meeting in the autumn on this issue with district councillor Allan Beal.

He added: “I am presently working with Lincolnshire County Council Highways to improve matters along High Road with plans for average speed cameras, safe pedestrian crossings, footpath improvements and other speed reduction measures.

“This alarming statistic of near 5,000 speeding offences in a year along High Road, Whaplode, we feel, reinforces the need for a bypass.”

Coun Beal called for money from the speeding fines recorded in Whaplode to be diverted from a central pot to be allocated locally.

He added: “While speeding is not part of the highways formula on dictating whether a bypass is needed, it should be. It is an issue that impacts residents in Whaplode especially on the High Road.”

Coun Beal also feels the latest figures could justify the need for average speed cameras in the area.

The county’s highways chief, Coun Richard Davies, said the decision for a Whaplode bypass lies with the Department of Transport and is calling for Government’s assessment model to be changed.

He said: “The Government assessment should be changed as it doesn’t look at the benefits further afield other than the immediate neighbourhood.

“In somewhere like Lincolnshire, any upgrades in Whaplode or Boston would deliver benefits 15 to 20 miles away - but we fall foul of the current assessment.

“People would see benefits further away than the Department of Transport and Treasury believes where they are.

“The assessment model needs changing - particularly in rural areas.”

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