The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A couple of weeks ago I found myself having to make a trip to Cornwall.
This would be my first visit there as, although I had been in Devon on very many occasions, I had never actually “crossed the Tamar” into the county.
What a delight it was, having concluded the business part of the trip, to spend a few extra days there exploring the area, almost exclusively by car.
The roads were in a fabulous state of repair, including some of the single track roads I found myself driving along when, having at times, broken my own golden rule of never blindly following one’s “sat nav”.
Complete courtesy and polite good manners were shown by other drivers both to me and to each other, particularly when meeting on one of the aforementioned single tracks, with patience being the order of the day when one vehicle had to reverse back to a passing place.
No sounding of horns, no signs of road rage anger or loss of personal control and emotions, just an altruistic attitude and tranquil respect for other road users.
Further, en-route back to Lincolnshire, a short stop in a part of Devon never previously visited found the country roads I used there to also be in the same high state of repair as those of Cornwall.
Eventually, on my drive back, I was turning off the A16 and embarking on “rowing my boat” on the B1166 towards my home.
One could have been forgiven for thinking you had just encountered Storm Callum again (which had arrived in Cornwall on the day of my travel there)!
What a total contrast to that which I had just left behind.
The state of the roads in south Lincolnshire are not just a disgrace, but an utter embarrassment, nay humiliation, for the county and its administration when compared to elsewhere, bearing in mind that, albeit a “B” grading, this particular road is a main route towards the district’s “second town” (Holbeach) and with regard to the aforementioned single track country lanes of Cornwall.
Needless to say, this was quickly followed by the usual vehicles speeding right up to my rear end, before roaring past whilst sounding their horn in a display of disapproval at my driving sensibly for the road conditions.
Gesticulations, accompanied by aggressive, dangerous and selfish driving from the proletariat that make up the vast majority of the demographic of this area, was now the order of the day, with courtesy and respect for each other now a distant memory.
Just when will our local government officers and politicians act properly and diligently to improve the quality of our roads, and when will the residents of this area start to show respect for other human life and drive according to the road conditions at the time and within their own (clearly restricted) capabilities.
Tony Bown
Whaplode St Catherine
