Plan to put pedestrian crossing near Horseshoe pub on the A15 at Thurlby

A £100,000 spend to install a puffin crossing on the A15 is among a series of highways works set to be approved by councillors next week.

Lincolnshire County Council has been asked to install the facility in the village of Thurlby, south of Bourne, close to the Horseshoe pub.

Previous plans placed it closer to the junction but this was felt to be unsafe and so it was moved further down the road.

A report before councillors said: “Although the speed of vehicles on A15 at this point is restricted to 40mph, traffic flows are heavy and a degree of severance results between these areas of the village.”

The council confirmed there had been one accident in the area in the past three years - a two-car crash at the crossroads.

On a stretch of the A15 at Northorpe, to the north of the village,, two 11-year-old girls who attended Bourne Academy were hit by a minibus when they got off their school bus in January 2014.

They suffered serious injuries.

The speed limit was lowered from 60mph to 40mph and, following a campaing, a crossing was put in.

Officers will tell councillors the cost to install the new crossing will be about £90,000 plus an additional £10,000 for feasibility and design works.

The authority’s planning committee will be asked to approve the plans on Monday.

What do you think? Is this where you would put a crossing? Email smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk

At the same meeting, councillors will also be asked to approve new parking restrictions on three Grantham Roads following concerns over on street parking and heavy traffic flows.

New waiting restrictions and bus stop clear ways are proposed for Gonerby Road, Gonerby Hill Foot and Stephenson Avenue close to the A1.

Three objections have been received from local residents on Ladysmith and Kimberley Terraces who fear people may be forced to park further away due to displacement of the traffic. Some have suggested new parking laybys could be installed.

The council, however, said there is “alternative parking opportunity” on several nearby roads and blue badge holders can park on the restrictions for up to three hours.

“The restrictions proposed aim to promote highway safety and traffic flow,” said the officer’s report.

“They are the minimum required to achieve this at this location and alternative on street parking will be available nearby.”

Elsewhere, further waiting restrictions and limited waiting bays, will be approved at Edison Court, in Pinchbeck.

Councillors had previously considered the matter in May 2022, but had deferred a decision while they waited to see if a change of business owner along the road would have an impact.

Officers will, however, tell councillors that the parking issues were “still evident”.

Although the objections from nearby residents still stand, officers say the new measures will control persistent long-term parking and ensure access to local businesses is maintained.

Councillors will also be asked to consider a reduction of the speed limit on Broadgate, in Sutton St Edmund, from 40mph to 30mph.

It follows a request from a local member and surveys at the site show mean speeds along the road at between 34-36mph.