Residents’ urgent call for road safety measures on A17

Emergency services were called to a collision on August 17 involving a DAF lorry and a VW Golf at the turn-off to Woodgate Lane, between Beckingham and Brant Broughton.

Sadly, the driver of the Golf, a man in his 20s, and local to the Newark area, died at the scene.

Seb Phipps has now launched a Change.org petition requesting an urgent and comprehensive road-safety review for the A17 at the staggered junction serving Brant Broughton and Stragglethorpe. It has already gathered almost 1,000 signatures in less than a week.

He states: “For many residents, using or exiting the junction can be difficult and feels increasingly unsafe, particularly during peak periods when traffic on the A17 is heavy.”

He went on: “Residents regularly experience difficulty finding a safe opportunity to enter or cross the A17, particularly when traffic is travelling at speed in both directions. The staggered layout can make judging gaps and safely completing manoeuvres difficult, while queues and periods of heavy traffic can further increase frustration and risk.”

He pointed out that these concerns are not limited to a single recent incident, as there is a longstanding history of concern about the safety of the A17 in the Brant Broughton area.

Mr Phipps said information previously provided by Lincolnshire County Council identified 31 injury collisions over a five-year period on the A17 section between the Brant Broughton crossroads and the B6403 junction near Cranwell. Five of those collisions involved HGVs.

He also drew attention to a number of serious and fatal collisions in recent years, including a fatal collision between Brant Broughton and Leadenham in November 2024, a further collision between a tanker HGV and a van between Brant Broughton and Leadenham resulting in two fatalities on January 10, 2025, and then the latest fatality.

He said: “They demonstrate the serious consequences that collisions on this section of the A17 can have and reinforce the need to consider the safety of the junction within the context of the wider A17 corridor.”

Mr Phipps added that full and up-to-date collision, traffic and speed data for the junction and surrounding section of the A17 should be obtained and reviewed, over at least the last five years, along with an assessment of the junction layout, visibility, sight lines, road markings, signage and lighting for the present level and nature of traffic. Near-misses and experiences of local residents and regular users should also be included.

He commented: “We are not asking for a predetermined solution. We are asking for the junction to be properly investigated.

“Residents should not have to wait for another serious or fatal collision before the safety of a junction which they use every day is properly examined.”

Coun David East, executive councillor for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Each junction and location along the route has its own characteristics and would need to be assessed individually to determine whether any changes could improve safety. We will continue to work with local communities, the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership and other partners to understand the concerns being raised and consider the available evidence when identifying opportunities for improvements.”

He said they took the concerns being raised about the A17 around Brant Broughton seriously.

Steve Batchelor, senior manager for Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, said there is not one single common cause for collisions along the route. “However, that does not mean concerns about individual locations should not be considered. We will continue to review the available collision and other relevant evidence when looking at potential improvements and work with partners to understand whether there are measures that could make a positive difference.”