Community speed watch to launch in Market Rasen

Lincolnshire County Council’s portfolio holder for highways, Coun Richard Davies, highways officer Mike Reid and the county council’s ward member for Market Rasen, Coun Lewis Strange have been in the area to meet with the town council and observe first hand its problem areas.

The meeting was arranged after the town council raised concerns about the state of the roads, the speed of people coming into town, and the volume of traffic in certain 
areas.

The council described the situation in Willingham Road, outside De Aston school, as ‘dangerous’ and 
‘horrendous’.

Coun Steve Bunney told the town council’s July meeting: “It was a good meeting.

“Regarding speed on the main and arterial roads - empirical data is 
required.”

Coun Bunney said the council currently only had qualitative evidence, not quantitative evidence, which is what is needed.

He said: “MRTC [is] to set up a volunteer community speed watch scheme.

“If we’re going to go forward, we have to do a community speed watch. We’ll have to launch that.”

Coun Bunney said speed, parking, loading and road widths were all discussed at the meeting.

He said: “Basically, we were told that these are enforcement areas that need to be reported to the correct agency - police, parking wardens 
etc.”

And Coun Bunney said the county council was not keen on a one-way system in Dear Street to prevent vehicles having to mount the pavement to pass each other.

He said: “The one-way system in Dear Street they’re not so keen about doing because if you make it one-way it speeds up the traffic.”

And Coun Bunney added: “Richard Davies explained that funding cuts meant that many of the projects Highways would like to complete are just not possible.”

Another meeting is due to take place in six months’ 
time.

What do you think about the state of the roads and of pavements in Market Rasen?

Let us know by emailing [email protected] or share your views at facebook.com/rasenmail.