MP sets up A47 group after dualling is cancelled

Sam Carling said "something needs to be done" to make the A47 between Wansford and Sutton safe

An MP has set up a safety improvement group after plans to upgrade a dangerous section of the A47 to a dual carriageway were scrapped.

North West Cambridgeshire Labour MP Sam Carling said the group, which includes parish councils, will push for average speed cameras and better infrastructure for cyclists in a bid to reduce accidents between Wansford and Sutton, near Peterborough.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander axed the £100m scheme in July, accusing the previous Conservative government of promising infrastructure projects with "no plan to pay for them".

Mr Carling said the group hoped to bring a "more deliverable set of safety interventions that could be implemented quickly".

As part of the safety scheme, the group is reviewing a range of possible measures, including safer junction layouts, overtaking restrictions and speed reductions, and lay-by closures and redesigns.

Concerns were raised by councillors when the scheme was axed

Mr Carling said: "I have made it clear that something needs to be done to make this stretch of the A47 safer, and I'm glad to be bringing partners together to get a better plan in place.

"People have waited long enough. We now have a chance to deliver real, practical safety improvements – and I'm determined we make the most of it."

The dualling scheme had been paused for several years due to planning complications, heritage concerns and rising costs, and the absence of upgrades at the A1 junction.

The latest decision to axe the 1.6-mile (2.5km) project was met with criticism.

Marge Beuttell, a Conservative member of Huntingdonshire District Council, said she was "devastated" by the news.

A public consultation is expected later this year to gather views from residents on the new safety group's recommendations before a proposal is put to the government.