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Parents fear for safety due to cars mounting kerbs

Charlotte Hendersonin Market Rasen
News imageBBC A woman looks concerned as she stands on a footpath by the side of a narrow residential road as a red car mounts the pavement to avoid white HGV lorry heading in the other direction. The woman has dark-blond hair and wears a black leather jacket, grey-blue T-shirt and sunglasses on the top of her head. Green shrubs and white-washed houses can be seen. The sky is blue.BBC
Grace Brown is among parents calling for changes in Kilnwell Road, which is being used as a diversion route due to roadworks

Parents are calling for a narrow street to be made one-way because of fears for the safety of children attending a primary school and nurseries.

They say roadworks have worsened an existing problem in Kilnwell Road, Market Rasen, where vehicles regularly mount the pavement when there is not enough room for two to pass safely.

Mum-of-four Jade Wootton, who has launched a petition calling for change, said: "I have had instances where vans pull up on the pavement in front of my pram and tell me to move."

Lincolnshire County Council said it was extremely concerned about reports of cars on the footpaths, but a one-way closure was likely to move traffic on to other minor routes.

News imageA woman frowns as she stands on the side of a narrow road outside a nursery. She has long brown hair and wears a white and brown striped T-shirt, dark jeans and a smartwatch with white strap. The nursery is behind a brown wooden fence with a sign reading "Town & Country Nursery". Cars can be seen in a small car park next to a white-washed building.
Jade Wootton fears a child could be injured in an accident

Kilnwell Road is being used as a diversion route because of work on the main road, Queen Street, which is being carried out by Northern Powergrid.

According to the parents, more traffic is now filtering down the narrow street.

Wootton said she feared the situation was an accident waiting to happen and added: "Lincolnshire County Council have told me this is being monitored, but this isn't ideal."

Other parents are supporting her stance. Grace Brown said: "The risk is unbelievable, I don't know how someone hasn't been run over.

"Since the roadworks have started over on Queen Street there is a constant flow of traffic. There are lorries, tractors, fast motorcyclists – this corner is blind.

"We don't know if we are going to get to nursery or not unscathed."

News imageTwo women look into the camera as they stand by the side of a narrow road. The woman on the left has dark-blond hair and wears a black leather jacket, grey-blue T-shirt and sunglasses on the top of her head. The woman on the right has ginger hair, tied back, and wears a red polo shirt. Green shrubs and white-washed houses can be seen. The sky is blue.
Laura Thornley (right, with Grace Brown) says drivers have been heard shouting and swearing

Laura Thornley, who has triplets, said: "When they started school, my main worry was getting them to school safely.

"It's also the behaviour and the language some of the children see, when the drivers are getting agitated with each other they are shouting and swearing."

In a statement, Town and Country Nursery, which is located on the road, said it was "deeply concerned about the ongoing safety issues".

The road closure had "only intensified traffic problems".

"We have observed a growing number of vehicles mounting the footpath, putting our children at serious risk," the nursery added.

'Entirely unacceptable'

Ashley Behan, traffic manager at the county council, said: "We are extremely concerned and disappointed that some motorists have been deliberately driving on the footway to get through.

"This is entirely unacceptable and should be reported to the police."

He added: "Our experience of implementing temporary one-way closures is that they are impractical to enforce and a significant amount of road users will violate the closure, which causes increased hazards to everyone on the route.

"Furthermore, it is likely that a one-way closure would move traffic on to other minor routes, which has the potential to cause knock-on effects in other areas."

The parents say the roadworks have made the situation worse, but they are calling for a permanent change from a two-way road to a one-way system.

A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid said the roadworks would be completed by 3 April.

"We are carrying out a new connection and network reinforcement in the areas of King Street and Mill Street," they added.

"We thank customers and residents for their patience while our teams complete the planned works."

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