A120 and Galleys Corner are 'accidents waiting to happen'

The Times has been calling for the dualling scheme along the stretch of road between Braintree and Marks Tey through its campaign A120: Road to Safety.

Earlier the year, the government's Department for Transport has confirmed the government will not fund the road improvements, despite plans being drawn up over the last decade.

Vince Horsman, 76, lives in Chelmer Road and can hear the bypass and passing ambulance sirens from his front door.

Resident - Vince Horsman feels Galleys Corner is one of the 'most dangerous' junctions in the country (Image: Claudia Bradley, Newsquest)

He said: “My main concern is that Galleys Corner is very bad. I think it’s one of the worst junctions in England – it’s absolutely appalling.

“Most people on that roundabout don’t know where they are, it’s badly signed so you’re getting smash ups on the roundabout all the time.

“It’s just accidents waiting to happen.

“There’s bits of cars on the roundabout. It’s not carnage, but you don’t have to go far away from that and you’ve got places where people are dying.”

Mr Horsman said he used to be a first aider and has witnessed traumatic accidents in the past. He feels Galleys Corner and the A120 are “accidents waiting to happen”.

Traffic - Mr Horsman highlighted that the stretch of A120 through Bradwell and Marks Tey is more like a B-road (Image: Vince Horsman)

“In Bradwell and Marks Tey, those two stretches of road are B-road quality,” he said.

“Bearing in mind that’s part of a road which comes from Stansted, a dual carriageway.

“The moment it hits Galleys Corner, you have a little bit of dual carriageway, then it’s basically B-standard.

“You go through two village streets. How is that happening?”

Large container lorries travel through the villages enroute to the ports at Felixstowe and Harwich, as well as the Indaver Rivenhall Incinerator.

Junction - HGVs regularly use the road to enter the Indaver Rivenhall Incinerator, as well as travelling to major ports at Harwich and Felixstowe (Image: Vince Horsman)

Mr Horsman said traffic diverts down the A120 to avoid problems on the M11 and A12, and through Braintree town centre whenever there are problems on the A120, which has caused “bottlenecks for 60 years”.

“We’d like to see a dual carriageway moving to the side of all this and acting as a normal A-road,” he said.

“This is vital. You will find flowers beside the road every so often. It’s heartbreaking. And no one seems to care.”

A National Highways spokesperson said: “Safety is and will always be our number one priority and we’re always exploring ways to make our roads safer.

“While there are no current plans to improve the Galleys Corner junction, resurfacing and renewed road markings will be completed at the roundabout in the coming weeks.”