Major Fylde road to get lower speed limit and new traffic light cameras after more than 100 accidents

The maximum speed on parts of the A583 through Fylde will be reduced as part of a broader safety upgrade planned for the busy route.

Lancashire County Council has not yet decided exactly which stretches of the road will see its speed limit slashed, but The Gazette understands the changes will be focused on areas close to where new housing estates have been - or are being - built.

Excess speed - over the existing limits - has been found to be a contributory factor in several of the 141 injury-causing collisions that have happened in the past six years on the A583, in spite of it already being covered by a combination of average and fixed-point speed cameras.

Drivers running red lights has also been an issue in some of the reported accidents, prompting highways bosses to plan the installation of new cameras to tackle the problem at some key junctions.

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The scheme will also see measures introduced to encourage cycling and walking - and to keep those choosing to do so safe. A quarter of recent accidents on the route have involved cyclists and pedestrians.

County Hall has been awarded just over £6m as part of a rolling government initiative to improve the safety of the highest-risk roads in the country – £1.5m of which has been earmarked for the A583. The remainder of the Safer Roads Fund cash will be ploughed into changes to the A6 between Broughton and Lancaster.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council told The Gazette that the authority’s approach will be “to complement ongoing development work within [the vicinity of the A583 and A6] to support safe and sustainable travel of the people living there".

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WHAT’S HAPPENING WHERE?

A583 (Blackpool Road/Kirkham Bypass/Preston New Road) from junction with Edith Rigby Way [Preston Western Distributor Road] to the M55 junction 4 at Peel Hill

The speed limit is currently 50mph along the entire length of the route.

The problem:

***141 injury-related collisions recorded in the last six years.

***24 of the accidents resulted in serious injuries;

***34 of the crashes involved cyclists or pedestrians;

***analysis suggests that speed enforcement and cameras to discourage vehicles running red lights may have helped to prevent several of the collisions.

The proposed solution:

A £1.49m scheme which aims to:

***reduce the risk and severity of collisions by reducing the speed limit along a section of the route from 50mph to 40mph where housing developments have been built, which will also encourage walking and cycling;

***reduce the risk and severity of collisions by introducing enforcement measures in partnership with Lancashire Constabulary designed to reduce speeds and complement existing measures along the route;

***boost opportunities for ‘active travel’ by improving pedestrian and cycle facilities with new crossing facilities, mandatory cycle lanes and shared-use paths;

***improve safety for pedestrians and encourage walking by providing improved pedestrian facilities, including refuge islands and pedestrian crossings. The measures include the upgrade of current pedestrian facilities to ‘toucan’ crossings;

***encourage cycling by improving cycling infrastructure which links locations along the A583 and connects into existing well-used National Cycle Network routes.

A6, Garstang Road and Preston Lancaster Road - from Broughton (James Towers Way) to the M6 junction 33 at Hampson Green

The speed limit currently fluctuates between 40mph and 50mph along the vast majority of the route.

The problem:

***212 injury-related collisions recorded in the last five years;

***one of the accidents was fatal and 39 resulted in serious injuries;

***72 of the crashes involved cyclists or pedestrians;

***police investigations suggest reduced vehicle speeds may have helped to prevent many of the collisions.

The proposed solution:

A £4.54m scheme which aims to:

***reduce the risk and severity of collisions by cutting the speed limit along part of the route, with the upgrade and introduction of refuge crossing islands to provide safer crossing points and act as traffic calming measures;

***boost opportunities for ‘active travel’ by improving pedestrian and cycle facilities with new crossing facilities, mandatory cycle lanes and shared-use paths;

***encourage people to use the facilities provided to cross the road safely by upgrading existing traffic signals to include crossing facilities, adding refuge islands and introducing ‘toucan’ crossing facilities, which permit cyclists to cross roads without getting off their bikes;

***encourage cycling by improving links between locations along the A6, and along the existing, well-used National Cycle Network 6 route by providing mandatory cycle lanes and shared use facilities.

IN NUMBERS

385 - the number of lives that the latest £38.3m nationwide allocation from the Safer Roads Fund is expected to save across the country over the next 20 years

2,600 - the number of fatal and serious injuries that Safer Roads Fund schemes aim to prevent nationwide over the next 20 years

31 percent - reduction in level of accidents on some roads that will be upgraded as part of the fund

Source: Department for Transport