Fatality warning over Chatteris junction
A former police officer is calling for urgent action at a Fenland road junction amid fears there will be a fatality if nothing is done about overgrown bushes and trees.
David Brown is deeply concerned that the undergrowth at the junction of New Road on to the A142 from the Chatteris direction is blocking drivers’ line of sight meaning they are forced to take risks as they pull out.
He said he has had one or two narrow misses himself in recent days and has tried raising the issue with Cambridgeshire Highways, but without success. The junction is already well-known for accidents and near misses.
“It is the same every year, and I have been raising the problem with Cambridgeshire County Council for the past three years but they are just not bothered,” said David.
He continued: “This year the problem seems worse than ever. The speed camera is almost obscured by the bushes and undergrowth and you really can’t see what’s coming round the bend from the Mepal direction.
“It is as bad looking the other way, which is another sweeping bend. I really fear that if nothing is done we will be seeing a fatality there in the next couple of weeks.
“Cars are driving at 60mph along that stretch of road, so you really do need to be able to see them coming. I have pulled out in front of a woman, who was clearly unhappy with me, but I just didn’t see her. Luckily there wasn’t a collision, but there could have been.
“I know there have been at least six other reports about how dangerous the junction is to Cambridgeshire’s online reporting, but still they don’t appear interested. I even got a message to say my case was closed.
“I was speaking to a police officer about it and he said there won’t be any action until there is a serious or fatal accident there. But I would hope something could be done before that happens.”
A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Last month, we supported bees, butterflies and biodiversity by taking part in ‘No Mow May’. Our highways maintenance team paused mowing road verges during May to allow plants a chance to thrive. Road safety is a priority for us, and grass cutting continued in areas where necessary, such as junctions or bends. The verge at New Road junction A142 in Chatteris was cut last week, however, we will be increasing the width of the cut back to the hedge with another cut this week.
“We’d encourage the public to report any areas of concern using our online reporting tool report a highways fault at the Cambridgeshire County Council – our highways maintenance team use these reports to prioritise their programme.”