Petition launched for 30mph speed limit at Hockerton Road/Normanton Road crossroads, Southwell, after serious collisions

After a series of serious collisions, a petition has been launched to lower a road’s speed limit over fears someone will be killed.

It has called for the extension of Station Road’s 30mph speed limit along Normanton Road and Hockerton Road, Southwell, encompassing the crossroads, all of which are currently 60mph limited.

Some residents of Greet Lily Mill, Station Road, have campaigned for the change for a number of years, but after hitting dead ends with Nottinghamshire County Council have launched the online petition to attract attention to the issue.

They believe the lowered speed limit would improve safety at the junction, and at the single-lane bridge which links Normanton Road to Station Road — where there has also been multiple incidents which have resulted in cars crashing through safety barriers and off the road to the riverbank.

Shelly Howes, who created the petition, said: “Just a few weeks ago there was a bad crash with an overturned car at the crossroads.

“The road is very fast, and the latest crash has really highlighted that something needs to be done.

“We’ve previously contacted highways and they’ve said they can’t take it down to 30mph because it’s not a lit road. We felt we’d exhausted every avenue so we decided to see what a petition would do.

“I’m sure they could do something — this is getting to the point that someone is going to die here.”

Alex McMillan added: “The issue really starts from Station Road to the A617 — with the narrow bridge people start picking their speed up to get over before the next person. They fly over, it must be at least 50mph sometimes.

“Last year a lady nearly went into the river, the air ambulance was here, everything. Another hit the wall, and if they’d gone left or right they’d have hit the Greet Lily Mill building — and we live there.”

When leaving Southwell, he explained, motorists can see the national speed limit sign is close as they come up to the bridge, and when approaching the town the limit doesn’t drop to 30mph until right before the give way sign.

The crossroads too have tight turns with limited visibility in some cases, with one 60mph approach on a bend, and road conditions can be particularly poor in the area when wet or icy.

Despite a site visit and speaking with councillors, Alex felt the concerns had been ‘shut down’.

Correspondence Alex received from highways at the council stated: “The council’s conclusion is that a 30mph limit on Normanton Road would not be in keeping with its character because it is rural and unlit. As a result, we would have no confidence that a 30 mph speed limit on Normanton Road outside the town would be complied with.”

A secondary concern for the road is the use of it by large arctic lorries, which have been directed along the road instead of passing through Upton, adding to the poor road condition and sometimes resulting in arguments as they navigate the bridge.

Nottinghamshire County Council has been approached for comment.