Worried residents yesterday presented a petition to the county council calling for high profile lighting to be installed on the new A140 roundabout at Pulham Market.

By CELIA WIGG

celia.wigg@archant.co.uk

Worried residents yester-day presented a petition to the county council calling for high profile lighting to be installed on the new A140 roundabout at Pulham Market.

The highways authority has invested �1.5 million on improving safety at Pulham crossroads - a notorious accident blackspot on the main Norwich to Ipswich road - and the project has been widely applauded.

However, villagers claim that safety has been compromised by the decision not to spend an additional �55,000 on fully lighting the roundabout.

And their concerns are shared by almost 900 people who signed the petition which was handed to Adrian Gunson, the council's cabinet member for planning and transportation, on the steps of county hall.

Spokesman Roger Pascall said: "Given the financial constraints on local authorities, we are very appreciative of the fact that �1.5 million has been spent on producing a wonderful new roundabout to remove an accident blackspot.

"But from the outset we have also been concerned that the plans didn't include lighting.

"I am sure they (the county council) had some reservations because they have left ducting in place and are providing low-level lights on the island itself and on the signage.

"The problem with low-level lights is how quickly you see them and react."

Mr Gunson told the group that because of limited funding the authority had to make difficult decisions, and putting in full lighting at a cost of �55,000 would mean that another safety scheme, or village pavement, could not be carried out.

However, he also made it clear that the council did monitor the way new developments and junctions operate, and time would tell whether there was a need to introduce full lighting at the roundabout.