Highway officials look set to address a dangerous road in Saffron Walden which has accounted for nine crashes and one fatality in the past four years.

The B184 Springwell Road, between Great Chesterford and Saffron Walden, has been a hotspot for collisions involving both cars and motorcycles and led to 10 casualties in total.

A £24,000 proposal has now been put forward in an attempt to improve safety. It will be discussed by Uttlesford’s Highways Panel on Monday, September 8 along with a number of other schemes suggested by Essex Highways.

Chairman of the panel Councillor Alastair Walters, pictured, also the Uttlesford District Council cabinet member with responsibility for working with Essex County Council on highways issues, said the decision about whether to approve the proposal would be made next week.

“This is very similar to the work that was done on the B1383 near Audley End,” he told the Reporter. “That appears to have been successful because we were having a spate of accidents there and I’ve not heard anything since the improvements were made.”

On the B1383, highways chiefs installed hazard marker posts, new arrow chevrons and resurfaced a section of the road to provide more grip.

The recommendations for the B184 are for hazard market posts on the outside of the right-hand bend 100 metres north of Walden Road and to replace existing chevron signs with new signs with increased yellow backing.

Road markings will also be refreshed, while road studs are set to be renewed, gullies cleared and existing drainage and design improvements made where appropriate.

Cllr Walters also said he would still like to see vehicle activated signs installed, both on the B1383 and B184, to improve safety.

“For a long time they [Essex Highways] seemed to be of the opinion that road improvements were not a priority unless there had been fatalities or people seriously injured,” he said.

“It is only by sheer luck that there have not been any serious injuries or deaths on the B1383 and I said it should be about putting in preventative measures rather than reactive ones.

“That is what has now been done and it appears to have worked. I think that is why they [Essex Highways] have come up with a similar scheme for Springwell Road.”