Councillors want speed limits cut amid safety fears

Town councillors want to see 30mph limits imposed on sections of Louth Road, Lincoln Road, Spilsby Road and Boston Road.

They warn that the roads are becoming increasingly dangerous for pedestrians, including children on their way to school.

Speaking at last week’s town council meeting, mayor Coun Fiona Martin conceded county council highways officers had probably already drawn up a list of priorities for Horncastle in 2020.

However, she urged them to consider moving speed limits ‘up the list.’

Coun Alan Lockwood said there was a strong case for reducing the limits on all four roads.

Regarding Lincoln Road, he said: “It is a downhill road. Drivers speed on it. It’s very cluttered with parking on both sides.

“Because of new housing developments, there are more pedestrians, including children walking to school.

“I know we have been banging on for this but something needs to be done”.

Coun Brian Burbidge, who chairs the council’s planning committee, said he had ‘taken up’ speed limits with the county council in regard to new housing applications.

He added: “It (the situation) is getting dangerous. There are definitely more people around.”

Councillors called on the town’s county councillor, Bill Aron, to raise the issue with highways chiefs.

Coun Aron said he always reported issues, but added the highways department was struggling with thousands of requests for repairs and improvements.

He said: “There’s a long wish list for Horncastle, but it is matched with county’s own list of what jobs there are to do within Horncastle.

“County wide, you are talking about 1,000-2,000 jobs a week coming in, more than 40,000 a year so they have got to prioritise within their budget as well as demands from us.

“With the pressure that Horncastle puts on highways, if they could have done the job they would have done.

“If I could have put any further pressure on them I would have done.”

Coun Aron revealed a reduction to some speed limits across the county were agreed 12 months ago, but were only just ‘coming through.’

He said he hoped a senior highways officer would attend a meeting of the towns council’s Highways Working Group next month when a number of issues could be discussed.

The meeting heard town councillors want weight limits to be imposed on some residential roads, including Winceby Gardens and Stanhope Road.

Coun Aron also revealed he was ‘hopeful’ of progress on calls for pedestrian crossings on the four main routes.

Coun Lockwood said he wasn’t interested in Coun Aron’s excuses, adding: “I want you to fight for this town.”

Coun Aron replied that it would help the town cause if ‘one or two councillors’ showed more respect to highways officers.

When he was challenged on that statement by Coun Lockwood and Coun Richard Barker, Coun Martin - who chaired the meeting - stepped in to halt the debate.