New street lighting proposed for Bay Gateway roundabout

Lancashire County Council is proposing to introduce street lighting at the A6 roundabout on the Heysham M6 Link Road, which it hopes will increase invisibility and ensure drivers slow down at the junction.

Street lighting was initially kept to a minimum to reduce the environmental impact of the £140m project, which connects Heysham and Morecambe to the M6.

Speed restrictions and safety measures were put in place in November 2016, following at least six incidents in the first three weeks of the road’s opening.

If given the go-ahead, the new lighting is expected to cost around £300,000 to install.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council, said: “The traffic management at the A6 junction rundabout was put in place in response to a small number of incidents of vehicles leaving the road in the weeks after the Bay Gateway opened, and designed to ensure drivers approach the junction at an appropriate speed.

“We have been considering the best approach to prevent these incidents, and are proposing to introduce street lighting at the junction, which will increase visibility and help to ensure drivers react early enough to slow down for the roundabout in all weather conditions.

“Lighting was kept to a minimum in the design of the road to reduce its environmental impact as far as possible, however we consider that in this instance additional lighting is justified to address this specific issue.

“We estimate that this will add around £300,000 to the £140m project total.

“The proposal will be put to the cabinet member for highways and transport for a decision in the coming weeks.”