MP calls upon constituents to demand safety improvements at 'incredibly dangerous junction' on A52 at Bottesford

An MP is calling for her constituents to write to Highways England about an “incredibly dangerous” junction on the A52 to call for safety improvements.

Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton, has appealed to residents of Bottesford and Muston to share their concerns about the A52 Belvoir Junction at Bottesford.

In March 2020, Highways England conducted a survey of the road between Nottingham Road and Grantham Road, and proposed a scheme to improve its safety in 2021.

However, Mrs Kearns believes the proposals “were not good enough”.

Mrs Kearns said: “It is an incredibly dangerous junction.

“You only have 30 seconds of sight before leaving the junction because of hedges and other things, so it’s incredibly dangerous. It’s just a badly built junction.”

The recommendations Highways England originally proposed included:

• New warning signs on both approaches to the Nottingham Road junction and replacement warning signs on yellow backing boards at Barkestone Lane and Belvoir Road.
• The application of High Friction Surfacing (HFS) at Nottingham Road, Barkestone Lane and Belvoir Road.
• A new road marking system including the application of double white lines.
• Red surface hatching in tapers at Nottingham Road, Barkestone Lane, Belvoir Road, Castle View Road, and Grantham Road.
• Install active studs, which offer a brighter alternative to traditional retro reflective studs to improve safety.
• Install a Basic Vehicle Activated Sign, which is an electrical sign that only becomes visible when approaching motor vehicles are exceeding a certain speed.

Mrs Kearns “demanded” that Highways England travel to meet with Bottesford Parish Council, Muston Parish Council and the Bottesford speeding team.

She added: “It was really good because they [Highways England] came to Bottesford and spent an hour listening to what the people of Bottesford and Muston were concerned about, why it’s dangerous and what improvements needed to be done.”

Mrs Kearns also wishes for the Department of Transport to change how they determine how dangerous a junction is, as it is currently based on the amount of accidents that have occurred on the junction.

She believes this should be calculated with the population size of surrounding villages taken into account.

“My argument is we have to build population size into these calculations, otherwise the reality of villages near dangerous junctions will not be taken into account," said Mrs Kearns.

Mrs Kearns told her constituents “the more public support we have, the more pressure it will put on Highways England.”

She added: “My message is we all know how this junction isn’t safe enough. We have secured some security upgrades, but we need more.

“I need them [the constituents] to show the strength of the argument locally and to make the argument that the reality and the population size of a community that’s near junctions should be taken into account.”

There is no set deadline to send in letters to Highways England, but Mrs Kearns recommends sending them in by the end of December as there is a review due to take place in January.

To get in contact with Highways England, email them at info@highwaysengland.co.uk.

Or write to them at Highways England, National Traffic Operations Centre, 3 Ridgeway, Quinton Business Park, Birmingham, B32 1AF.

Highways England are looking to implement their original proposals dependent on funding approval.