Taxi drivers pull rank to get junction made safe at Lincoln Railway Station
Taxi drivers pull rank to get junction made safe
A dangerous junction in Lincoln city centre is to have its safety features improved after calls for action from taxi drivers.
In the past five years, the "right-turn only" exit of Lincoln Railway Station's car park has been the site of repeated incidents, witnesses say.
Lincoln taxi drivers suspect that the unrecorded incident count could be into the dozens – much higher than the official record of five in five years.
They have been calling for changes to reduce the risk of accidents on the junction.
The Echo has discovered that there are now plans to extend the yellow box markings across both lanes of traffic to improve visibility.
Taxi driver Simon Hearn said: "It's a regular occurrence, and there was another accident the other day, with three or four cars involved.
"The situation has got worse recently, because of the development work on the station building. The taxis have had to move closer to the junction and some of them pull right up as close as they can get, which has just aggravated the problem."
He says traffic build-up outside the station car park restricted the view for people turning right out of the junction, which meant oncoming traffic could not see cars exiting until it was too late.
Dave Smalley, a taxi driver, said: "I think that accidents are happening here roughly every fortnight, the whole junction is lethal. The council should extend the yellow box, and put 'slow' signs in place before the junction."
Taxi driver Ian Gray said: "My worry is that a cyclist or a child will get killed, and we have to watch it, and some driver is going to have that on their conscience. We have to do something."
The station car park is owned by East Midlands Trains.
Company spokesman Corinne O'Loughlin said: "We are looking at ways to provide better access to the station car park and are currently discussing various improvement options with our contractors.
"We are also meeting with representatives of the taxis and licensed car users to listen to their views."
Jeanne Gibson, area highways manager at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "There are plans to extend the existing yellow box marking eastwards across both lanes of traffic so that obstruction to visibility caused by traffic queuing in the nearside lane is reduced. It is hoped to complete the works in the next few months."
John Siddle, communications manager at Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership said: "Thanks to the taxi drivers' assistance, we have brought about a solution that will reduce the risk, and hopefully we will see fewer collisions and injuries at that location."
Read more:
http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Taxi- ... z2xPSUenss
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