Traffic lights are to be installed at an accident blackspot on the A141 Isle of Ely Way between Chatteris and March.

The work to improve road safety at the junction of Manea Road B1093 and the A141 Isle of Ely Way will start in March and is expected to last up to eight weeks.

A poster by Cambridgeshire County Council, which is carrying out the work, describes the junction as ‘a current injury accident cluster site with a history of collisions between turning vehicles and those travelling straight ahead on the A141’.

A study into the accident record at the junction identified a number of problems for drivers including:

• The A141 has a high traffic flow, which can make it difficult to exit the junction particularly at peak times.

• If a driver has to wait for a long period of time before pulling out of the junction they may be more likely to misjudge a gap in the traffic.

• This is also more likely if there is a queue of vehicles as this can add pressure. Drivers may feel pressurised into taking an inappropriate gap.

• Traffic speeds are high which not only causes difficulty for drivers but also for pedestrians and cyclists trying to cross using the pedestrian island.

Alternative options to installing traffic lights were considered, including replacing the junction with a roundabout, banning the right turn out of the junction and reducing the speed limit along this section of the A141.

However, the council agreed that “changing the form of junction to a roundabout would require a considerably greater budget than available and is not at present feasible.

“It would take a larger physical area and could affect the cemetery. It would also introduce increased risk to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.”

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said: “To keep public disruption to a minimum, we will take this opportunity to carry out more work in the area, including road maintenance along Manea Road and Isle of Ely way, and the replacement of the bridge deck and resurfacing of Boots Bridge.

“More details about how the work will affect drivers will be available closer to the time.”

The works will include:

• Boots Bridge re-decking works: replacing the bridge deck, parapet and resurfacing. This will require a 10 week closure.

• Carriageway maintenance between Skylark and A141

• Carriageway maintenance between new signals (A141/B1093 junction) and Eastwood End junction