Accident data from 'terrifying' Leighton Buzzard bypass will help decide whether road could be made safer

More than 3,700 people signed an e-petition demanding highways improvements along the A505 south of the town.

Concerns have been expressed before about flooding issues on the bypass after heavy rain and the stretch of road being used as a drag racing circuit.

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesman said: “As a dedicated partner of the Bedfordshire Road Safety Partnership, we work closely with the county police force and the fire and rescue service to ensure the safety of roads across the region, including the A505.

“We’re reviewing collision data to ascertain possible next steps. The safety of road users remains our top priority.”

Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade North CBC councillor and town council leader Kevin Pughe noted last year that there were more than 50 accidents within six years on this stretch of road A4146/A505 and four fatalities.

He wrote to CBC’s highways department voicing campaigners’ fears about the bypass. The local authority had commissioned a collision data analysis report already from its then highways contractor Ringway Jacobs.

This made several recommendations including a planned review of current signs, as well as design work to identify areas for improved safety measures.

The road starts from Watling Road at Houghton Regis heading west towards Leighton Buzzard to the A4146/A418 Wing Road junction, and is just over six miles long.

“It’s been acknowledged there have been about 50 personal injury accidents along this route from April 2016 to March 2022, CBC’s assistant director highways Gary Powell said previously.

“Some of these incidents are because of common types of error, such as:

46 per cent or 23 of them involved failure to look properly;

24 per cent or 12 of these failure to judge another person’s speed or direction;

18 per cent or nine were caused by careless or reckless driving by someone in a hurry;

and 12 per cent or six were the result of a driver exceeding the speed limit.”

A petition was presented to a CBC traffic management meeting in January 2023, where data analysed by Ringway Jacobs was also discussed. It was agreed to allocate a budget for a design feasibility study and to produce a scheme to address road safety along this route, taking into account the speed limits.

“This is currently on our annual plan for a project design and our new contractor Milestone Infrastructure is in the process of drawing up a road safety improvement scheme,” added Mr Powell.

“Once the design has been completed, we can report back with recommendations for the proposed safety measures along this route, on which we would then hold a consultation process.”

Bedfordshire Police appealed for witnesses after one person was taken to hospital with “life-threatening injuries”, after a car travelling on the bypass struck a tree in August.

What do you think about the bypass? What has your experience of the road been like? Email [email protected] and tell us your thoughts.