UKIP Eastern Counties
Stanground: Campaigners target rat-runs
Sunday, 7th November 2010
Cllr Peter Reeve
By Nick Reinis
Peterborough Today
21 October 2010
Campaigners are urging transport officials to take a fresh look at heavily congested roads close to a £20 million bypass near Peterborough.
Resident Barry Hyland is calling for a new mini-roundabout to be built at the junction of the A605 Whittlesey Road and the B1095 Milk and Water Drove, which heads to Pondersbridge.
He claims there has been an increase in traffic in the area since the opening of the Stanground bypass in October 2009 which is creating congestion at the junction.
Mr Hyland, who lives close to the junction in Milk and Water Drove, said that the difficulties happen when the level-crossing closes at King’s Dyke.
When the crossing opens again, a line of traffic heads from Whittlesey to Stanground, which stops motorists in the other direction from turning right onto Milk and Water Drove.
He said: “The traffic then blocks up all the way behind those vehicles. They queue to the new roundabout at the bypass and sometimes they also queue as far back as the Junction 4 at A1139.”
The campaigner, who is also a parish councillor for Farcet, said a number of rat runs have emerged with motorists looking to escape the traffic.
He said: “It’s creating rat-runs in Park Farm, Farcet and Coneygree Road and you can’t blame people for doing it.”
Fenland District councillor for Whittlesey Martin Curtis echoed Mr Hyland’s sentiments and also blamed the current closure of North Bank for the problems.
He said: “Part of the problem as well is that some of the people are trying to drive towards Pondersbridge to avoid the level-crossing at King’s Dyke.
“Because North Bank is closed, they know they could be held up by a train, so they turn off and head towards Pondersbridge and come back onto the A605 in the middle of Whittlesey.”
Peter Reeve, Huntingdonshire District councillor for Ramsey, said that the congestion has also caused problems for people in the market town.
He said: “Lots of people in the town work in Peterborough and the traffic adds half an hour to their journey each way.”
Irene Walsh, Stanground ward councillor for Peterborough City Council, said she has already spoken to city council transport officers about the issue.
She said: “I had an e-mail back from them to say that it’s due to the North Bank being closed and when that re-opens they will see if it improves. If it doesn’t, we will be looking at a solution.”
However, she added: “I don’t think that we can wait that long because it will only get worse at Christmas.”
