Petition launched for safety measures on ‘dangerous’ and ‘shocking’ Northamptonshire crossroads

Robert Oakley, 72, from Northamptonshire, started the appeal after being caught up in the aftermath of several incidents.

The Long Buckby resident calls for the authorities to take action and install new and improved safety measures on the A5 and A428 junctions near Whilton Locks, Long Buckby, Watford Gap, East Haddon, and Ravensthorpe.

He said: “I do drive every day, and every day I feel totally and utterly threatened at least once a day. And then the biggest problem, as everybody would agree, is probably poor driving. No matter what we do, we're not going to overcome that. My wife and I have nearly been taken off the road at least three times during the past week.

“That's a pretty dangerous thing.”

More than 250 people have signed the petition since it was launched on August 17, 2024.

“I use the A5 a lot. I understand there have been quite a lot of fatalities on that road since it was opened because that is a shocking road to drive. People just take too many risks.

“There's obviously a lot of concern in the area about the number of incidents on the A5. The feedback I've had from this on Facebook is that people are also frightened to even attempt to cross the A5,” said Robert.

Robert hopes to “make a difference” with the petition and see more road speed limits set in place at those junctions in the future.

His goal is to gather around 1,000 signatures to make a "more impactful" statement.

“They are catching up with the potholes now, which is great to see. But the roads are still not really fit for purpose for high speed.

“It seems that we are stuck in a time when traffic wasn't so fast and cars weren't so powerful. People seem to use the speed limit as a target rather than driving sensibly,” said Robert.

Click here to read more about the petition.

A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Police said: “Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured (KSI) on our roads remains a priority for the force.

"Working closely with our partner agencies within the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance (NSRA), we strive to improve road safety by changing the behaviour of road users whether this is through education, engagement, enforcement, or engineering.

"This includes working with partners who continually monitor routes and junctions for KSI collisions, introducing relevant and proportionate measures as appropriate."

West Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment.

National Highways programme development manager Ian Doust said: “Safety is always our number one priority and we believe no one should be harmed while using or working on our roads.

“We monitor the safety performance of all routes and junctions on our network and implement appropriate measures when necessary. We also work closely with partners such as the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance to improve road safety.

“We are aware of proposals by developers for changes to Long Buckby and Wilton Locks junctions and will work with them to ensure any changes do not compromise safety.”