Road safety campaigner shares 'time bomb' experience living near Fenland junction
He's calling for more safety measures at the dangerous crossroads
A road safety campaigner has told us living near a dangerous Fenland junction remains a cause for concern.
Between 2017 and 2022, there were at least nine crashes at the B1093 Boots Bridge junction with the B1098 Sixteen Foot Bank near Manea, according to government data site Crash Maps.
Graham Chappell started the Fenland Road Safety Campaign in 2008 after nine year old Charlotte Walker died when the car she was travelling in fell into the river along the B1098 near March.
He wants better safety measures in place at the crossroads:
"For quite a while, I got used to the idea (living near the junction) and it was when we lost Charlotte and the devastating effect it had on her family and the community brought it home of the timebomb we're living near," he said.
"It's a constant worry; there are many locations across Fenland that are an ongoing concern.
"Now (to improve safety at the junction) is always the right time; the trouble is we have to wait so long in so many locations.
"There are still accidents happening; it's of great concern to local people and the people who are suffering as a result of the accidents."
Slower speed limits and better signage needed
Since the campaign began, Graham has raised at least £16,000 in implementing safety measures on some of Fenland's roads, including roadside barriers.
In 2019, reconstruction work to Boots Bridge costing £1m took place, where new parapets, which create a protective wall along the bridge's edge, now have steel posts and safety barriers.
The upgrade of the bridge, first built in 1931, aimed to improve safety at the junction.
"What I believe would be helpful is to enhance the signage to achieve a slower passage across the junction, particularly from the vehicles travelling across the Sixteen Foot," Graham added.
"I think the vehicles coming across on the Sixteen Foot, it would be very helpful if the speed limit was reduced for everybody at this junction to a maximum of 40mph."
More roadworks to come at Boots Bridge, says council
Cambridgeshire County Council says it made "improvements to the signage and the junction" at Boots Bridge in 2020 and last month told councillors about further work at the junction.
"As a result, we will be making more road safety enhancements and we’re currently working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to source funding for this. We hope the work will be carried out in the spring," a council spokesperson said.