Plans for danger junction
LEICESTERSHIRE County Council has confirmed that “improvements” are to be made to a notorious junction in Shepshed following a collision which saw four people taken to hospital.
Local emergency services, including the air ambulance and two fire engines, were rushed to the incident at the junction of Iveshead Road, Charley Road and Abbey Road at around 11am on Thursday, April 27.
According to the fire service, one vehicle was involved in the incident and one person had to be released from the vehicle by the rescue crew.
A total of four casualties were conveyed to hospital by the ambulance service and the road remained closed whilst police investigations were carried out.
Now, Leicestershire County Council has confirmed to the Echo that plans to make the junction safer are already underway and scheduled to be completed in the summer.
A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council said: “We are sorry to hear of the accident.
“We have completed development of a scheme to address issues around the accidents at the crossroads and works have already been ordered.
“This should be completed in the summer.
“The improvements will involve making the junction more visible by providing additional signage, hazard perception bars (rumble strips) and reducing the speed limit to 50 mph.”
The Iveshead Road, Charley Road and Abbey Road junction is one of five notorious junctions that came under the spotlight in an Echo article back in January.
Leicestershire County Council told the Echo at the time that 13 incidents - one of which was classed as ‘serious’ - had been recorded at that junction in the past five years.
There had also been 18 recorded casualties.
A total of 32 collisions were recorded at all five sites, which also included Charley Road/Nanpantan Road; Nanpantan Road/Ingleberry Road; Tickow Lane/Charley Road/Ashby Road West; and Hallamford Road/Oakley Road/ Tickow Lane/Belton Street.
Following news of the latest incident at the site, readers took to the Echo Face- book page to give their opinions on the junction.
Shireen Hand said: “I’ve seen so many crashes and cars in fields in that spot over the years. Something really needs to be done to slow drivers down before they reach the crossroads.”
Darren Mcginnes said: “Always a crash here you’d think council would do something about it. Stick a load of traffic lights up that will stop people try to rush through it.”
And Amy Pitt added: “This corner needs sorting. It’s so dangerous.”