Published: Friday, 29th January, 2010 12:25pm
Another death at Leadburn
by David O'Leary
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A FURIOUS political row has erupted following this week's fatal crash at lethal Leadburn Junction.
Peebles pensioner Janet Spaven was killed in the two-vehicle collision on Tuesday morning.
The 87-year-old's Diahatsu car ploughed into a Citreon just yards from where another driver was killed in 2006 when his vehicle crashed into the adjacent inn.
Over the past decade four motorists have lost their lives around the Leadburn junction - where the A701, A703 and A6094 meet.
And many others have had lucky escapes.
Several campaigns have been launched in the past for the junction to be upgraded.
A £900,000 roundabout reached the planning stage following the 2006 crash which saw the nearby inn burned down.
And initial studies were completed.
Scottish Borders Council had backed the plans by its neighbouring Midlothian Council as the junction sits just yards from the local authority boundary.
But Midlothian Council took the blackspot from its priority programme last year after government funding, filtered through regional transport organisation SEStrans, dried up.
Local MSP Jeremy Purvis, has been in lengthy discussions with the present owner of the newly renovated Leadburn Inn and Midlothian Council in an effort to make the junction safer.
In a reply letter on January 11, Midlothian Council promised that a lighting review would be carried out.
However, Mr Purvis feels more needs to be done. He said: "The fact is that after the removal of funding by the Scottish Government that was ring-fenced for joint projects in Midlothian and the Borders, including engineering improvements at Leadburn, the project has slipped down the priority list.
"There is no point another MSP and an MP slinging mud on this - we need a joint approach to follow up on the letter to me of January 11."
Tweeddale MP David Mundell visited the deadly stretch of road again this week.
He said: "How many more people need to be killed or injured before something is done about this crossroads? A scheme has been drawn up, the plans already exist and currently sit languishing in a drawer in a civil servant's desk waiting for funding."
Local councillor Catriona Bhatia also added her voice to the clamour for improvements at the junction.
She said: "I really am sick and tired of saying this but people's lives can be saved for the sake of a roundabout or traffic lights.
"We now have another fatality and still nothing done. What's galling is that money for the improvements was made available to SEStrans before being taken away by the Scottish Government."
Councillor Neil Calvert, a member of SEStrans, believes that if the junction was under Scottish Borders Council control the necessary improvements would have been made long ago.
He said: "It's a pity that it's just outside our area because it seems to be Borders drivers who continually suffer at Leadburn.
"SEStrans have been continually applying pressure on Midlothian Council to improve this junction to no avail.
"Enough is enough now and action must be taken."
Have your say. .
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Jim Silvey
Unregistered User
Jan 29 10 13:56
Comment: 8257
It was the Liberals friends in the Labour Party at Midlothian Council who have messed up here. They had plans which would have been backed by SESTRANS to the tune of £500000, but at the last minute Midlothian Council officials realised their budget projections for the project were wrong and they had failed to consult with local landowners, so Labour run Midlothian Council reallocated the cash it had set aside to other projects. Sham on them.
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cbrown
Unregistered User
Jan 29 10 19:09
Comment: 8272
While I completely agree that this junction is dangerous and needs something to be changed. I seriously believe that someone of this age should not be driving still. Older drivers drive slower and this can be so dangerous as to cause accidents. They think by driving slowly they are being more safe but the opposite is often true. I firmly believe there should be an age limit on driving. I actually find it very scary that an 87 year old can still be behind the wheel.
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Rose Mount
Unregistered User
Jan 30 10 08:28
Comment: 8281
Yet again the Peeblesshire and these politicians get the facts wrong. The BBC website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8401344.stm shows that the only fatal crash at this junction in the previous ten years was in 2005 (not 2006). And it involved only one vehicle (rather than a crash between vehicles). There have been more deaths on the roads miles from Leadburn, so is this junction dangerous or is it some of the drivers who use it?
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James Blonde
Unregistered User
Feb 1 10 12:02
Comment: 8322
The JUNCTION is dangerous. I'm sure some of the people who use it are also dangerous, but they would be forced to be less dangerous if the junction was changed! Also, fatalities are not the only factor in play here - there are bumps and near misses at this junction all the time!
This crossroads is approached by very fast, straight, historically national speed limit roads. It is unsighted in all directions. It is a busy junction, with all routes used heavily - not just in one particular direction. The road layout does not lend itself to cars entering or exiting junctions quickly or cleanly.
I can't think of any other junctions where I (and others) have had so many near misses, or seen so much glass lying around the roadside.
Who actually truly cares about the politics? Just fix the bloody thing whatever colour you are and stop trying to blame someone else and turn it into a "my party is better than yours" contest - GROW UP!
cbrown, when you get to 87, can we quote you on this? I don't argue with the sentiment and maybe old folk should be tested, but just cos you're old doesn't necessarily mean you're unsafe. Just cos you're young doesn't necessarily mean you're safe!
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Hazelkaye
Unregistered User
Feb 1 10 21:29
Comment: 8334
Unfortunate and tragic as this accident is, it is people who cause road accidents - NOT THE ROADS!
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Hazelkaye
Unregistered User
Feb 1 10 21:31
Comment: 8335
That goes for level crossing misuse as well!!
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James Blonde
Unregistered User
Feb 2 10 09:51
Comment: 8349
Hazelkaye, the road layout doesn't help, and is a contributory factor. Remove that contributory factor, and the number of accidents (and the resultant cost to the taxpayer / insurance payer) will decrease.
I just don't understand why there appears to be a movement AGAINST improving this junction?
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RM
Unregistered User
Feb 3 10 08:01
Comment: 8369
Tragic that 2 people have died here but would changing the junction have stopped them or would they still have died? JB - if they spend a £1million here then they can't spend that money somewhere else where it might be needed more. Whether that is any of the places that have more crashes, or cleaning up hospitals to save people dying from infections, or aid to Haiti.
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James Blonde
Unregistered User
Feb 3 10 09:40
Comment: 8370
Health and the NHS have money - BILLIONS of pounds more than they need, and its wasted in beaurocracy and consultants. They can use that money to deal with hospital infections, and if hospitals aren't clean with that much money available, why not?!
Aid to Haiti - great, and they're getting millions from the government, fron charity, from all over the world. I doubt money is really the issue for them right now.
Give me other examples, and I'll give you arguments against. The suggestion that money doesn't exist is rediculous - it exists, its just wasted! Its also not just about deaths - injuries, insurance, time off work, emergency services, etc etc all have to be paid for!
Meanwhile accidents will keep happening at this junction, people may be injured (or die), thousands of pounds will be wasted cleaning up and dealing with accidents and insurance, where with a little bit of funding (and £1M is a drop in the ocean), the problem could be resolved!
Will it stop accidents there completely? Of course not. Will it slow traffic down and force them to negotiate the junction with more thought and control? Yes!
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