Expanding on why A46 junction needs work

THANK you for this week’s significant and valuable coverage of the survey highlighting the dangers of the A46/Seagrave junction (“Almost every driver asked says junction is dangerous”, August 9).

This is a major concern that has been all too evident for many years but nothing has been done.

Incredibly, the recent changes, largely cosmetic, have made the situation worse.

Your report does well to explain the finding of the survey, but there are a number of crucial issues that should also be recognised.

Reference is made to a “worsening” situation but this was not adequately explained.

The A46 Leicester to Newark improvements of the past few years have led to a huge increase in usage.

It is now a very good fast road that, for example, may well be being seen as an M1 alternative, not least by many commercial vehicles.

There have to be major questionmarks about how current and comprehensive is the data being used by Highways England and the other relevant authorities.

There is also the failings of the recent work, presumably linked to the LCFC development, that has been undertaken, at the junction.

Your article mentions the exceedingly dangerous problem of not being able to see the traffic travelling towards Leicester when on the central reservation and endeavouring to turn right or go straight across.

As was reported, this happens when a vehicle wanting to turn into the Seagrave road blocks the view.

This is not a recent issue and it can also be caused by a second vehicle entering the central reservation in order to turn right and join the Leicester-bound traffic.

This visibility problem is well known to most people using the junction, hence the lack of major accidents.

However, the recent junction “improvements”(?) have made matters worse.

There is a now a kind of slip road from the central reservation that has drivers facing towards Leicester and struggling to look over their left shoulder or use a mirror in order to see approaching traffic and with also the added possibility of two or even three vehicles now on the reservation and blocking their view.

Something more substantial and relevant was needed and the Leicester City FC development should have been the impetus to do this.

What the actual increase in traffic has been needs to be established as there was an active golf course on the club’s training ground site.

Locals do avoid the junction by going through Sileby, but this alternative is not being made an easier by the very substantial housing developments on this route.

It should be noted that, to the best of my knowledge, the only Leicester/ Newark A46 crossing without an under or overpass is at Seagrave.

David Stead, Walton on the Wolds