Improvements unlikely at Fosse Way junction which is 13th on council’s list

Despite almost 1,500 people signing a petition for Warwickshire County Council to look into the possibility of altering the junction of the Fosse Way and Harbury Lane the authority has said it does not have the funds to carry out a project and that the crossroads is only 13th on its list of priority sites.

Bally Singh, the labour parliamentary candidate for Southam and Kenilworth, said: “I understand that budgets are tight for local authorities everywhere, but that will be of little consolation to worried residents. The financial issue also highlights the need for a new direction in local funding at the next General Election.”

The rate of accidents which have taken place at the junction has ‘significantly’ worsened over the last two years but there has also been increases at other parts of the Fosse Way and at spots across the county.

Philippa Young, the council’s group manager for traffic and road safety, has said that locations are prioritised where there is a common trend and cost effective measures may be implemented that address the causes of the accidents.

In regard to the crossroads, she added: “There is limited funding through the capital programme for accident reduction measures. In recent years, this funding has been £350,000 for the whole of the county.The cost of introducing either traffic signals or a roundabout is in the order of £750,000- £1.5M. Council funding alone is insufficient for either of these projects.”