THE new chairman of Pinchbeck Parish Council is a man on a mission to save a child’s life by fighting for a footpath beside a “treacherous road”.
Coun Andrew Bowser, who stepped into the role at the council’s meeting on Monday, said the battle for a path in Market Way was the reason he had joined the parish council in the first place.
He said: “It’s the reason why I’m here and I’m going to keep on banging on about it because it could save a little girl or boy’s life.
“It will happen that someone is killed along there and I don’t want to be sitting here saying ‘I told you so’.
“The road is getting busier and it’s treacherous,”
Fellow councillors voiced their support for Coun Bowser’s campaign, with Coun Chris Bettinson saying: “If we can’t have a proper footpath why can’t we have white lines on the road like they have in other parts of Europe to keep pedestrians and cars apart.”
Coun Bowser suggested the council invite Lincolnshire County councillor William Webb, who is executive member for Highways and Transportation, to visit Market Way and hear councillors’ concerns.
He said: “Let’s ask him during which decade they are planning to address the issue.”
Coun Bettinson added: “It would be interesting to know where Market Way is on the list of priorities for a footpath.”
Lincolnshire County Council says the need for a footpath has been assessed, but taking into account the width of the road and how many people would use it, it is not deemed a priority.
A spokesman said: “The path would also be very expensive to build as we would have to fill in a dyke on the south side of the road to allow enough room.”