Your suggestions for making Kettering's streets safer

Well over 1,000 ideas across the county have been logged
The number of suggestions which have been left for Kettering.The number of suggestions which have been left for Kettering.
The number of suggestions which have been left for Kettering.

There's just a few days left to submit your ideas for making the county's streets safer for walking and cycling.

Northamptonshire County Council has been given more than £1.7m in indicative government funding to support the post-Covid lockdown adjustment with funding to improve walking and cycling infrastructure.

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Some of that has already been allocated to temporary projects - such as the removal of parking spaces in Montagu Street in Kettering - with the rest in a second tranche for longer term projects.

The council has been inviting suggestions throughout June and has well over 1,000 to choose from. Here, we look at some of the ideas in Kettering.

One of the suggestions made the most has been to increase the number of cycling lanes, including in Rockingham Road and Stamford Road. People also want a cycle lane in Rothwell Road near the hospital with calls for the cycle lane in Northfield Avenue to be made continuous.

New crossings are also a priority for many county residents, particularly near our schools and educational buildings.

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There is a call for a new crossing outside Kettering Buccleuch Academy in Weekley Glebe Road to improve safety, as well as near Tresham College in Windmill Avenue because "at peak times the junction becomes a death trap".

Parents also want permanent zig-zags outside Grange Primary Academy in Jean Road on the Grange estate.

At the roundabout where the A43 meets the A6003 and A6183, people say it needs a new crossing with improved signage because it feels "unsafe" crossing there. Campaigners also want a crossing near the access to Weekley Hall Wood, as reported by the Northants Telegraph last week.

Many also want areas of Kettering to be resurfaced because of dangerous roads and pavements.

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There's a call for urgent resurfacing in Warkton Lane, between Barton Road and Deeble Road because it's dangerous for cyclists.

Another person wants improvements to the pavement in Roundhill Road after they hurt their ankle twice when out running and their son fell off his bike.

One of the most popular suggestions with 135 'up-votes' is to turn the parking spaces outside Kafe Bloc in Sheep Street, pavement space outside No.1 Piccadilly Buildings and the library into seating for an outdoor social area, although counter suggestions saying this is a bad idea have also been submitted.

There's also calls for Wordsworth Road and William Street to be pedestrianised, the latter to continue the street's community spirit.

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Lowering speed limits is another frequent suggestion, with one idea of reducing the speed limit at the top of Northampton Road because of people crossing away from the traffic lights.

The suggestion said: "It’s easy to say people should go round the corner to the crossing but the reality is they don’t.

"This spot would be much easier to cross if the traffic was 20mph and the road narrowed so there was a build out on both sides which would make it safer to cross."

Some residents also want St Peter's Avenue to be a 20mph zone to stop it from being used as a rat run, with the same 20mph call for Havelock Street. In nearby Regent Street one idea is to make it one-way.

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Other suggestions include suspending parking in Brambleside because it restricts the view of pedestrians trying to cross the road, with a lower speed limit and a new crossing near the primary school.

There is a call to re-open the Furnace Lane cut-through, another to improve lighting near the Ise Lodge skate park to prevent crime and another to make signs for cyclists in Market Street more clear.

Others want to stop parking in Mariners Way because it often blocks the foot-cycleway and restrict traffic in Silver Street so cafes could use outdoor space.

To have your say by July 3, visit the website here.

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