Over 100 people sign petition to add ‘dangerous junction’ sign to Luton crossroads

John French has been complaining to Luton Borough Council (LBC) about the junction of Hucklesby Way, Church Street, Hitchin Road and Crescent Road for nine years. He created the petition in May requesting for a ‘dangerous junction’ sign to warn drivers about the dangers of the crossroads.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request from Bedfordshire Police revealed that between January 1 2022 and December 31 2023, there were eight collisions with injuries at the junction.

But John said: “Most of them [the collisions] are very minor thankfully, so they don't get reported to the police. But the speed of vehicles going both up and down Hitchin Road and turning right is the issue.

"Every time I go by, there is debris on the road, which means there has been an accident.”

An LBC spokesperson said: “The council has been monitoring the junction of Hitchin Road with Hucklesby Way since the junction’s installation and have been routinely reviewing collision data for the junction as we do with all other roads in the town.

The council acknowledged that “there is a trend in the collision data involving right turners”, and said it was “planning to launch a scheme this year to improve the safety of this junction”.

The spokesperson continued: “The council is proposing additional detection in the junction which will detect right turning vehicles that have accumulated in the centre of the junction and will hold the signals at red until the right turning vehicles have safely completed their manoeuvre.

“In addition to this, the council will look to install MOVA signal control system which is a higher method of control aimed at improving efficiency of the junction. This is expected to improve the safety and reduce the risks of collision at this junction.”

Prior to the petition, John had claimed the council had “adamantly refused” to install a sign. He added: “LBC said that ‘it's under review. We might have something done in the next financial year’. Somebody will die in that [financial] year if they [LBC] don't do the simplest of things that we've asked, which is to put a dangerous junction sign up.”