I have read with interest and dismay about the proposed 4,000 houses and road system which South Kesteven District Council is determined should be built between Spittlegate Level and Woodnook, which is apparently going to solve all the traffic jam problems in Bridge End Road.
Have I missed something, as I can’t really see how building 4,000 more dwellings is going to solve any traffic problems?
Directing A1-bound traffic from Woodnook to Spittlegate Level will achieve nothing as only southbound traffic can access the A1 from Ponton. Northbound A1 traffic will still need to travel through town, or carry on from Woodnook to Easton, to gain access to the A1.
A52-bound drivers will also be no better off if they travel from Woodnook to Spittlegate level as they will then have to drive along South Parade and through Grantham, instead of driving along Bridge End Road as they do at present.
So, this new road will merely transfer the major traffic jams from Bridge End Road to South Parade, which benefits no one. This seems to be a very expensive plan which is currently very poorly thought out.
Also, how is Lincolnshire County Council going to fund the maintenance of any new roads considering the current appalling state of nearly all roads in Grantham?
The size of some potholes in town roads needs to be seen to be believed, including the one in the centre of London Road/Wharf Road junction, several in Stanton Street/Wide Westgate junction, Castlegate, near the junction with East Street, and St Catherine’s Road adjacent to the pedestrian crossing close to the river. The list is endless.
Those potholes which have been “repaired” in the last few weeks are now reappearing as the new tarmac has not been compacted sufficiently into the holes.
A cyclist was killed in Lincolnshire very recently when he was thrown from his bike on hitting a deep pothole. Numerous motorists are needing to have their cars repaired due to pothole damage.
Surely it would be better for LCC to bring our current roads up to standard before contemplating any new roads being built in the county? Let alone new roads which will only increase traffic problems, rather than solve them.
L. North
Dudley Road, Grantham