Nettleham residents welcome speed limit changes following reports …

Residents in a Lincolnshire village say they strongly support reducing the speed limit on a stretch of the A46^[1] to 40mph, following reports of crashes. The road adjacent to Nettleham^[2] will be lowered from 60mph, following a successful vote by the county council's^[3] planning committee.

In the past five years, nine accidents resulting in injuries happened on the stretch of road. Resident David Dolling, who has lived by the main road for 14 years, said he has witnessed 'nine or 10' serious accidents.

He said: "I think it's a combination of the road speeds and the fact Nettleham is regarded as a retirement village. Anything [Lincolnshire County Council] can do would be appreciated and I think that is generally the feeling of everyone around here.

Poll: What's the worst road in Lincolnshire for traffic?^[4]

"Especially as we see the carnage first-hand." Mr Dolling says he has seen a number of head-on collisions on the road and was even involved in a close call himself just a few days before councillors addressed the issue.

He said: "A car pulled out in front of us, causing us to do an emergency stop and a car that was coming from Lincoln that was doing something in the region of 80mph also had to do an emergency stop." Lucy Curtis, 47, who has run the Red Poppy Ranch for around five years, said she was relieved by the changes.

She said: "It's wonderful for us because we have our horses here and everything should be a little bit safer for us." However, she was sceptical about whether motorists would actually adhere to the changes, adding that many appear to have ignored the temporary signs currently in place.

Ms Curtis added: "When you pull out, it’s really hard to judge distances. Since I’ve been renting here, there have been at least two, if not three, fatalities and I’ve witnessed the road being closed for hours and hours. Something needs to be done."

She said that further restrictions, such as a speed camera, could help better address the issue of speeding drivers. Another resident shared Ms Curtis' scepticism.

He said: "I don’t think it will make any difference." He also raised additional concerns about morning traffic which is often backed up to Deepdale Lane.

He said: "Our biggest problem is getting out of the drive if we want to go to Welton. It’s terrible but the more houses they build, the worse it’s going to get."

During the county meeting, Cllr Ian Fleetwood strongly endorsed the changes. Referring to the proximity of Lincolnshire Police HQ in Deepdale Lane, he said: "If ever there was a location in Lincolnshire where speed enforcement shouldn’t be an issue, this is it."

References

1. ^{^} A46 (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Nettleham (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
3. ^{^} county council's (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
4. ^{^} What's the worst road in Lincolnshire for traffic? (xd.wayin.com)