Dear Ms Devonish

I am responding to the Regulation 28 report dated 17 December 2019 received by me and Cllr Andrew Reid regarding the findings of your investigation into the sad death of Jamie Anthony Finlay.

Following the road traffic collision on the 8 May 2017, one of my highly experienced road safety engineers ( Safety and Speed Management Engineer) was requested to accompany officers from the Suffolk Police Serious Collison Investigation Team (SCIT) on a site visit, this was undertaken on the 13 December 2017.

observations from the site meeting with the Police were as follows:

• Eastbound drivers on the A1088 could physically turn south into Thetford Road on the wrong (west) side of the Thetford Road splitter island and bollard to cut-the- corner.
• It was discussed that this could be the manoeuvre of the eastbound vehicle involved in the fatal collision – he was attempting this then saw V2 approaching at speed westbound whereby V1 pulled back to his side of the road which resulted in a head on collision.
• AccsMap (SCC collision database) over the last 5 years shows the fatal with causation factors of V1 being careless / reckless / in a hurry and V2 failed to look properly.
• There was one slight in 12 / 2015 involving V1 emerging from the side road that failed to look properly and collided with a westbound A1088 vehicle.
• As such this is not a high collision cluster site based on 3 or more injury collisions in last 5 years. Our Ref: MA / EC Date: 24 February 2020 Email:

• Looking at the side road junction layout, we can see that turning left out of the side road traffic enjoys a long taper but it is not a slip on (where speed could build up before joining the main road) as it’s tapering.
• Any alterations could involve removing the taper and squaring up the layout to discourage misuse. This would need to be a physical change (rather than hatching) and involve carriageway break out and new lining works.
• In terms of expected accident reduction / cost-benefit / value-for-money this is expected to be low / poor When considering this junction and the circumstances in which the collision took place, officers have also noted that whilst undertaking the annual review of injury collisions across the county, there are other locations where a higher number and severity of collisions takes place, and as such officers make decisions on sites for remedial engineering solutions taking the whole county into account. Sites are selected and prioritised for remedial works where there is considered to be a high likelihood of a reduction in the frequency and severity of collisions occurring and where vulnerable road users are prioritised, as set out in the Suffolk RoadSafe Strategy (2012-2022).

In reviewing the concerns your raise in your report, to take action to prevent drivers from turning right from the A1088 into Thetford Road in advance of the centre island and bollard, Suffolk County Council proposes the following action:

• undertake a review of the junction design and layout and potential engineering solutions that would reduce the opportunity to turn right in advance of the centre island
• continue to monitor the collisions across the county to identify where remedial action is required by the Council.