Lobbying councillor hails completed Caister crash barrier work

Crash barriers have been fitted to the A149 Caister Bypass for the first time since it was built in the mid-1980s.

Work on a dual carriageway crash barrier has been completed on time, according to the councillor who lobbied for safety improvements.

Penny Carpenter found there had been 12 serious crashes on the A149 Caister Bypass in Norfolk between 2014 and 2020.

The barrier work cost £660,000 to complete, although further earth works will be required in March 2024.

Caister councillor Ms Carpenter said: "It's been a long road to get here".

Statistics showed that three of the crashes had involved vehicles crossing into the opposite carriageway.

Conservative councillor Penny Carpenter said the safety work should reduce the number of serious injury collisions

Councillor Carpenter added: "It's been quite a pleasure to look at, but it's more about the safety measures and I'm very lucky to have the support from Norfolk County Council and the cabinet member to make it happen.

"[It] is extremely important because if anyone loses control or has a collision between the carriageways then hopefully it will be contained within the carriageway rather than go across."

She said she fought against proposals for a speed reduction, which would have been cheaper, saying it would burden Norfolk Constabulary to police the limit.

"Any downgrade of any speed limit, who is going to look after that, and patrol that, and I don't know if the constabulary has the resources to look after that," she said.

"Vehicles had in the past gone across and collided with oncoming vehicles, so I think this is a really good piece of work and I can't thank them enough."

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