There are some campaigns in local politics that can be resolved relatively quickly. Others require persistence, patience and a willingness to keep raising the same issue even when progress seems painfully slow.
My campaign to improve the junction between Telford Way, the Stephenson Industrial Estate and the A511 Stephenson Way in Coalville certainly falls into the second category.
I have been campaigning for something to be done about this junction for more than 15 years. That means my concerns about it go back long before I was elected as a County Councillor and long before I ever considered standing for political office.
So I am genuinely delighted that years of lobbying and persistence are finally beginning to pay off.
Leicestershire County Council is now proposing to prohibit the right turn from Telford Way onto the A511 Stephenson Way, effectively making the exit left turn only. The proposal will now go forward to public consultation between 2nd and 23rd October.
It might sound like a relatively small highways change, but for me it represents a significant step forward in a campaign that I have championed for well over a decade.
A Junction I Have Known for Years
Anyone who regularly drives along the A511 through Coalville will know just how busy this stretch of road can become.
The Stephenson Industrial Estate is an important employment area and naturally generates a considerable amount of traffic. At the same time, the A511 is one of the principal routes through our area, carrying local traffic alongside vehicles travelling across North West Leicestershire.
For years, I have been concerned about vehicles leaving Telford Way and attempting to turn right across the A511.
Drivers have to judge traffic travelling along a busy strategic road and cross the carriageway to complete the manoeuvre. I have never believed that this is a particularly satisfactory arrangement.
Unfortunately, the collision evidence supports those concerns.
The County Council has confirmed that there have been a number of recorded injury and non injury road traffic collisions associated with the right turn movement. That evidence has helped lead highways officers to bring forward the proposal that is now going to consultation.
For me, road safety should always be about trying to prevent the serious accident rather than reacting after it has happened.
If there is a known problem and there is a practical and proportionate way of reducing the risk, we should be prepared to act.
Persistence Really Does Matter
One of the reasons I am particularly pleased to see this proposal reaching consultation is because this has been a personal campaign of mine for more than 15 years.
When I became the County Councillor for Coalville North in 2021, it gave me the opportunity to take that campaigning directly into County Hall.
Since then I have consistently lobbied highways officers about safety along the A511, the Stephenson Industrial Estate junction and other problem areas around Coalville.
I have kept asking questions, kept raising the issue and kept pushing for practical solutions.
There have certainly been times when progress has felt frustratingly slow, but I have always believed that being a local councillor is about more than raising something once and then moving on.
If something matters to the community, you keep going.
That is why reaching the public consultation stage matters to me personally. It demonstrates that persistence can eventually deliver progress.
Improving the A511
There is, of course, a much bigger programme of improvements planned for the A511 corridor.
I strongly support investment in that route. The A511 is absolutely critical to Coalville and the wider North West Leicestershire economy, and improving its capacity and safety is essential as our area continues to grow.
However, I have consistently argued that the existence of a larger improvement programme should never become an excuse for doing nothing about individual safety concerns in the meantime.
If we can make a sensible intervention now that reduces a known risk, then we should do it.
Making the Telford Way junction left turn only is exactly the kind of targeted improvement I have been calling for.
It will inevitably mean a slightly different journey for some motorists. I fully recognise that.
But highways decisions often require us to balance convenience against safety. In this case, I believe the safety argument is compelling.
The Job Isn't Finished Yet
It is important to be clear that this is not a done deal.
The proposal is going to public consultation, and residents, motorists and businesses will have the opportunity to have their say before a final decision is taken.
I strongly support the change and will continue making the case for it.
I also want the County Council to monitor the surrounding road network carefully if the restriction is introduced. We need to make sure that changing traffic movements at one junction does not inadvertently create a new problem somewhere else.
That is simply good highways planning.
But after campaigning on this issue for more than 15 years, I am pleased that we have finally reached the point where a concrete solution is on the table.
This junction sits right in the heart of the Coalville North division that I am privileged to represent. I use these roads myself, I know the area and I understand why residents have concerns about safety on the A511.
Sometimes getting things done in local government takes longer than any of us would like.
You have to keep asking, keep chasing and occasionally make yourself a bit of a nuisance.
I make no apology for doing that when it comes to the communities I represent.
After more than 15 years of campaigning, we have taken an important step towards making this junction safer.
Now I want to see the consultation completed, the views of local people properly considered and, ultimately, this long overdue improvement delivered.
