Peterborough’s biggest accident hotspots revealed

The biggest accident hotspots in Peterborough have been revealed.
A crash on the A15 by Glinton/HelpstonA crash on the A15 by Glinton/Helpston
A crash on the A15 by Glinton/Helpston

Government data shows that between 2014 and 2018 there were 273 accidents with casualties on the A15 in the city.

This is followed by the 231 on the A47, 181 on the A1139 and 103 on the A605.

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In total, there were serious crashes on 24 roads in Peterborough during the five year period.

In Fenland, the A47 had the third highest number of accidents with casualties (93), while the A605 was fifth (53). The most were recorded at the A141 (111).

Analysis by JPIMedia - which publishes the Peterborough Telegraph - shows that Peterborough came 55th out of 379 local authorities for the highest rate of serious crashes during this time.

There were 2,664 road accidents causing casualties over the period, which is 134 per 10,000 residents.

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In contrast, Cambridge came 39th, South Holland 56th, South Kesteven 133rd, Huntingdonshire 156th, Fenland 158th and East Northamptonshire 357th.

The authorities with the highest rates of serious crashes were City of London (2,145 accidents per 10,000 people), Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.

The highest outside London was North Warwickshire (218 accidents per 10,000 people).

Moray in Scotland (37 accidents per 10,000 people) had the lowest rate of crashes, while the lowest in England was Wigan (45 accidents per 10,000 people).

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The East of England as a whole ranked fourth out of 11 regions (including Scotland and Wales) with an average of 104 accidents per 10,000 people, lower than the average in Peterborough.

Analysis by JPIMedia also shows that the A1260 is the worst road in Peterborough (and 632nd in the UK) for the highest number of accidents with casualties per mile (27.6).

This was followed by the A1129 (19.8) and A15 (16.6).

No road in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire or the surrounding area features in the top 10 of roads with the highest number of accidents with casualties per mile in the East of England.

The number one in the UK is the A501 through the City of London, while for motorways it is the M4 in Slough.

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Serious crashes are more likely to happen on a Friday and in the hour between 5pm and 6pm, while drivers are more likely to be male and be aged between 26 and 35.

Nationally, the number of accidents causing death or injury has fallen by a sixth in the past five years,

A spokesperson for road safety charity Brake said there were steps drivers could take to prevent accidents, such as slowing down, not using mobile phones when driving and getting their eyesight tested regularly.

But the spokesperson also said there needs to be “greater investment in road traffic enforcement so that people who do drive dangerously and break the law, endangering themselves and all other road users, are caught and punished”.

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A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “We take road safety extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring the city’s highways are well maintained and safe for motorists to use.

“Our transport team investigates areas where accidents have taken place and where possible will work to see if safety measures can be installed. For example, we have funding this year to install traffic calming measures in Park Crescent following accidents in the area.

“We will also be undertaking a full road safety review in the near future to see where further improvements may be necessary.

“As part our drive to promote road safety in communities, we have a dedicated road safety officer who works with schools, colleges and businesses as well as attending events, to deliver dedicated safety advice. This work is supported by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership and Cambridgeshire police.”

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The Department for Transport said allocation of crime-fighting resources is a matter for chief constables, in conjunction with police and crime commissioners.

The department said that busier roads will have a higher number of accidents but that “vital improvements” were being made to the road network.