Safety fears grow for Newmarket riders with town’s new traffic lights system in Fordham Road

A new traffic lights system around horse and pedestrian crossings in Newmarket’s Fordham Road designed to make the area safer have made it more dangerous, users have claimed.

Former town mayor and trainer John Berry who rides across the road on a daily basis said he believed the lights were causing unnecessary traffic tailbacks and increasing the risk to riders on horses because of the way the crossing lights timing systems work.

Nick Patton. managing director of Jockey Club Estates said: “Obviously the new lights are not working as effectively and efficiently as they should be. There are certainly timing issues and we are working with Suffolk Highways to try and rectify the situation as quickly as possible.”

Mr Patton and Rob Achner, Newmarket’s head of operations, have been standing near the crossing each morning from 7.30am until 9.30am since the lights were switched on to deactivate them once horses had crossed to allow traffic to flow better.

“The main issues here were always the safety of riders, horses, pedestrians and motorists but what we have at the moment seems to be adding to the problem and has over complicated the situation.”

The Pegasus crossing for horses was planned as one of the planning conditions of the Hatchfield Farm development.

Suffolk County Council worked with the developer and the Jockey Club to provide an upgraded crossing, in line with the development’s planning conditions and the work was completed by Breheny Civil Engineering on behalf of developer Sansovino Developments, which paid for the project.

The intention is to provide a safer crossing for horses, as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The provision of a separate puffin crossing allows pedestrians to cross on both sides and keeps them separate from the horses.

However, Newmarket district councillor Sue Perry and the head teacher of St Louis Catholic Academy, Sue Blakeley, have asked why traffic lights have been installed to stop traffic so parents can drive out of Fairstead House School on the opposite side of the road which they say is contributing to long queues as were the lights on a little-used service road running along the school’s perimeter wall.

“The current traffic light settings appear to present a greater risk of accidents occurring,” said Mrs Blakeley.

“Parents are concerned the new crossing is leading to horses being queued along Rayes Lane and growing restless. Previously they were always given priority over traffic so the flow was smoother for riders. Could someone try to resolve the current situation before a rider, motorist or pedestrian is seriously injured?”

Neither Fairstead House School or Suffolk County Council responded to SuffolkNews’ request for comment.

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