Blackspot to get safety work

ONE of the A140's most notorious blackspots is about to undergo safety improvements, council bosses have confirmed.

The junction with the B1078 at Coddenham, which includes a treacherous right-turn, has proved one of the most dangerous stretches of the Ipswich to Norwich road.

It has seen a string of accidents, including one in 1998 in which 78-year-old Mendlesham farmer Arthur Pipe was killed.

But Suffolk County Council has revealed it would be one of the first sites on the A140 to be targeted for safety improvements.

Rod Sore, a traffic engineer with the county council, said the junction would be "simplified" to make it safer and pledged improvements would begin in the near future.

"We are aware of the concerns of local people regarding the safety of this junction and have decided to bring in a new scheme as soon as possible. The 50mph speed limit on the southbound carriageway of the A140 will be extended through the Coddenham junction," he added.

"There will be a very visible speed camera introduced on the approach to monitor speeds and enforce the limit. This will help persuade people to slow down at the junction."

Campaigners – who are resigned to never seeing the road made into a dual carriageway – had pointed to the B1078 junction as one of the A140's most dangerous spots.

Malcolm Sands, a newsagent from Needham Market, collected 15,000 signatures in a petition calling for improvements to the road after the death of 13-year-old Katie Willis at Stonham in 1996.

He believed the Coddenham junction had become more dangerous since other improvements on the A140 carried out by the Highways Agency, which previously had responsibility for safety work.

"Drivers get frustrated at the 40mph and 50mph speed limits and put their foot down as soon as they see some dual carriageway," said Mr Sands.