South Holland district councillor calls on new Lincolnshire County Council leaders to look at blackspots at Holbeach and Crowland

New county leaders are being urged to ‘take a serious look’ at the area’s accident blackspots as motorists are urged to take more responsibility for safety on our roads.

A man was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a collision at the notorious Saturday Bridge at Whaplode St Catherine recently — but this junction has been the location for a number of crashes over the years.

Ward member Coun Paul Redgate, deputy leader of South Holland District Council, is now calling on the new Reform-led Lincolnshire County Council to have a look at Saturday Bridge along with another infamous crossroads such as the A16 Hulls Drove at Crowland.

Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has released accident figures for those locations along with High Road in Moulton, Wisbech Road in Tydd St Mary and the Saracen’s Head junction on the A17.

But officials say that ‘engineering can only do so much’ and has put out an appeal for motorists to behave responsibility on our roads by sticking to speed limits.

Coun Redgate said: “I would suggest given the change of regime in the county that the new portfolio holders need to take a serious look at all the accident blackspots to come up with more suitable solutions for reducing incidents in our roads.”

He pointed that a number of our blackspots are crossroads which are met by long straight roads.

Coun Redgate said that Saturday Bridge does have warning signs but suggested that the only possible improvement could be street lighting or the addition of traffic lights.

He said of the safety of the junction: “I don’t know what more we can do. We rely on people taking responsibility for their driving coming down that road - how many people take the gamble and pull out?

“People are driving vehicles and are not treating these as dangerous things. Speed kills - there are speed limits for a reason.”

There have been eight ‘slight injury’ collisions at Saturday Bridge over the last three years, according to the road safety partnership.

Officials say that the speed limit at Saturday Bridge has been reduced from 60mph to 50mph in 2024 along with the installation of new signs and the road surface has also been changed on approach to the junction.

While over in Crowland one serious and three slight injury crashes at Hulls Drove in the same time period.

People living in and around Crowland have been calling for this staggered junction to be replaced with a roundabout.

The road safety partnership says that the junction’s design has been reviewed and ‘extensively engineered’. It has also been resurfaced, vehicle activated signs installed and the A16 is covered by an average speed system.

Officials recorded three slight injury collisions at the Moulton crossroads, one in Tydd St Mary and one at Saracen’s Head in the last three years.

A spokesman said that every year the partnership undertake an analysis of all the ‘cluster collision’ sites to determine if engineering solutions are required or a speed survey.

He said: “Overall, the reality is that where vehicles come into conflict at junctions, roundabouts, traffic lights or any other scenario there is always an increased likelihood of collisions occurring.

“What is important is that all road users maintain full concentration when undertaking manoeuvres and be patient, fully appreciating the speed of approaching traffic and only progressing with their manoeuvre when there is sufficient space and time for it to be completed safely.

“Engineering can only achieve so much – it is us as road users that need to take responsibility for using the roads safely, ensuring that we comply with the posted limits, all road traffic legislation and the Highway Code to minimise collisions occurring.

“There are also a number of other factors seen which lead to collisions such as drivers being impaired through drink or drugs – in these cases there is nothing beyond enforcement that can prevent collisions occurring as those individuals are not fit to be using our roads.

“It is all our responsibility to ensure that we are fit and well enough to use our roads safely by ensuring we avoid distractions, are being patient with others and concentrating on what we are doing as road users.”

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