The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
With regard to the article in last week’s Voice about “Pressing for better road Infrastructure”, while I agree that the A16 (Spalding to Peterborough) should have been built as a dual-carriageway, it is single carriageway so we have to put up with it.
What is needed first and foremost is to improve the driving standard of the motorists who use this road. Having been a lorry driver for over 25 years, some of this in Europe, I find the driving standard in this country appalling.
The standard has fallen a great deal since I first passed my driving test. I have taken driver’s training with firms I have worked for and have also taken a driving instructor’s course.
The lorries on the A16 should, by law, only do 40mph, cars and vans that follow are at liberty to overtake if the road ahead is clear. The problem is that many drivers just cannot overtake or choose not to, therefore this creates long queues behind the slower vehicle. If someone then comes from further behind to overtake everything he is ridiculed.
Would it not be better to allow lorries to travel this road at 50mph as there are no paths, pedestrians, houses or schools, just fields either side of the road.
This would help the traffic and keep the road safer as the car driver is more likely not to try and kill himself and others taking risks overtaking.
This would be a lot cheaper than building a new road at greater cost than if it had been built in the first place.
One question to Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce and local businesses who have been meeting about this topic: ‘What’s wrong with the A17? This road has been a single carriageway for 30 plus years. Does produce not travel on this road?”
Colin Mayes
via email
