One of my first actions as the MP for Bilsborrow was to approach Lancashire County Council last July trying to improve pedestrian safety on the A6 here and reduce the risk of fatalities.
Lancashire County Council told me there have not been enough casualties in the village, or enough speed data to justify new safety measures – but also they would consider this if they had funding.
We have all seen vehicles speeding past homes and John Cross primary school. It should not need a fatality to act, we need prevention.
The Road Safety Team have now confirmed they have new Government funding, and in May, I launched a petition to push for the Council to put that funding to good use.
Around 50 residents responded in support, and I have been in discussion with the head of John Cross Primary School who supports a level crossing by the school. He tells me this has been an ongoing concern for years for himself and school governors, along with parents and children. In the past the school has even had a great initiative with the children and police using a radar gun to pull over speeding motorists and educate them on the dangers.
Many residents have also highlighted that the Lancashire County Council speeding data is incorrect, as they believe the speed limit either side of the school is a 40mph zone, when in fact it is 30mph. This means their assertion that “there are no clear speeding issues” with the 85th percentile speed recorded of 35.2mph demonstrates a clear case for introducing measures to slow traffic down and increase pedestrian safety.
That’s why today, I am writing to Lancashire County Council to push for them to urgently review their speeding data and commit to an A6 level crossing by John Cross Church of England Primary School:
UPDATE: March 2026
Six months on from this enquiry I’m yet to receive a response on the county council’s erroneous speed data and lack of action on a crossing on the A6 – but I continue to chase this and try to push the council into action and will update this page (www.catsmith.co.uk/bilsborrow) as soon as I receive any reply.
Related news
PETITION: Bilsborrow Road Safety [May 2025]
Cat Demands Speed Enforcement in Bilsborrow [April 2025]
Cat Demands Road Safety Improvements in Bilsborrow [August 2024]