Devon awarded £4m of Safer Roads Funding

Devon County Council has welcomed long awaited news of more than £4 million of funding for road safety improvements on two A-roads in Devon.

The Department for Transport has announced that Devon has successfully bid for Safer Roads Funding, with the County Council set to receive £1.9 million for improvements on the A3121 and £2.2 million for the A3123.

Both of the roads are rural routes that suffer from higher average speeds, sub-standard alignment and a lack of physical segregation between vehicles.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “Improving the safety of our highways for all road users is a priority for Devon County Council. This funding will support that priority by delivering a series of risk reducing measures to target the most severe collisions on the both the A3121 and A3123.”

The A3123 links the A361 North Devon Link Road to Woolacombe and Ilfracombe. Between 2012 and 2016, there were 27 collisions on the route (including Mullacott Cross roundabout), of which three were fatal or serious injuries (KSIs).

The funding has been allocated to help enable major junction improvements – particularly at two collision cluster sites at Hore Down Gate and Lynton Cross. Devon County Council also aims to achieve enhanced and more consistent signing and lining at junctions along the entire route.

Councillor Andrea Davis, County Councillor for Combe Martin Rural, said: “Increasing the safety and reducing the number of road casualties on the A3123 has been one of my pledges to the local community. The Safer Roads Fund will reduce the risk of collision along the A3123 and the closure of the northern Lynton Cross arm will tackle this local collision hot spot. The A3123 is a key regional route and the opportunity to make these safety improvements is positively welcomed.”

The A3121 provides a link from Plymouth on the A379 to Avonwick and Totnes with a spur to the A38 east of Ugborough at Kitterford cross. Traffic from Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Loddiswell also converges on Kitterford Cross on the B3196. There were 31 collisions on the route between 2012 and 2016, with seven of those at Kitterford Cross and nine at Modbury Cross, which are two known collision clusters areas on the route.

The proposed interventions will seek to address these two sites while improving the majority of minor road junctions on the route to an improved and consistent safety standard.

Councillor Richard Hosking, County Councillor for South Brent and Yealmpton, said: “I have been campaigning on behalf of the Parish Councils of Ermington and Ugborough for improvements to the safety of the junctions of the A3121 with the A379 at Flete Eastern and the B3196 at Kitterford Cross. An injection of capital by the Government’s Safer Road Fund is very welcome. The principal objective is to make capital safety improvements that will reduce the risk of collisions on these notorious junctions. My next campaign is to remove the bottlenecks on the B3196.”

The schemes are expected to save 39 deaths/serious injury accidents on the A3121 and 16 on the A3123.

As an extra and unique initiative from Devon County Council, local Approved Driving Instructors will also receive bespoke road safety advice on both the A3213 and A3121’s risks to help instruct drivers from higher risk groups and local communities.

Work would be expected to be completed in 2021.