An all-party group of local representatives was today bitterly disappointed when major improvements to the notorious ‘Cart & Horses’ junction in Kings Worthy were rejected out of hand by the Conservative cabinet member for transport.

County Councillor Jackie Porter, who is also standing as the Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for 2015, who has long campaigned for improvements in the junction, commented, “ As far as back as October 2012, I joined County officers to draw up improvements to the junction. On the day they presented the design, the blue lights flashed a warning as another accident happened there. We all agreed that the plans needed more work, so I am pleased that the plans include a lower speed limit, but it is really frustrating that a local suggestion hasn’t been taken account in the issue at all. And it shows that even the intervention of our current MP has changed little.’

Local City Councillor Jane Rutter commented, “Despite the intervention of our Conservative MP and an all-party approach from Parish, City and County councillors, the County Council is not prepared even to cost the very reasonable proposal for a change to the junction suggested by local resident Dan Conroy, which had the support of all of us.”

Cllr Sean Woodward explained that the County Council considered that major changes to the junction were not warranted, as they could not make the ‘business case’, there hadn’t been any major accidents causing serious injury, and other road improvements had a higher priority.

Cllr Rutter continued, “The impact of the problems at this junction at busy times are felt across a wide area. Many people use the ‘rat run’ along Park Lane (opposite Lovedon Lane) as a way to avoid this junction, even though it has worse sight lines, an even worse accident record, and the extra traffic seriously impacts on the residents of that narrow residential lane. We know that there are many accidents at the junction which are not reported to the police, and when there is a major incident, we have been informed that the cost to the emergency services runs into tens of thousands of pounds.”

The County has, however, agreed to consider reducing the speed limit along the A33 through the village from 50mph to 40mph, and is updating an earlier proposal to improve pedestrian access with ‘white lining and signage’ in an attempt to meet some at least of local residents’ concerns.

Meanwhile the works to improve pedestrian and cycle access will go ahead as planned last year.

   Leave a comment