Cambs road safety chief Russell de Ville's view is that barriers might cause extra problems because cars could bounce off them – either coming back into the path of on-coming vehicles, or going off the other side of the road, possibly into a ditch.

In addition, hit head on, drivers were then faced with a head-on impact.

"The problem with a conventional barrier is that the soil won't hold it up," he said.

Another idea was barriers where steel cables worked like a "giant elastic band". Anything hitting them would decelerate and stop.

The problem was, due to the weak soil alongside the Forty Foot, posts would be needed.

"Concrete would sink under its own weight," said Mr de Ville, adding sheet piling might also be out because of this and the cost.

Other suggestions were tyres filled with soil to form a buffer. Again, it was felt these might prove too weighty.

Some kind of sleepers with wires or chains in between might prove too dangerous.

Concerning the idea of an earth mound, Mr de Ville said there was not a lot of room to put one and he worried about the weight of earth needed.

He also thought, if anyone hit it at speed, it might launch them into the air and possibly over it.

Mr de Ville also said, at present, drivers were able to see the Forty Foot and this might naturally slow them down.

Something solid which might detract from this could lull them into a false sense of security.

A series of traffic lights has also been suggested as a way of slowing traffic, though it was felt, if traffic flow was regularly disrupted, drivers might tend to ignore them.

Cambs County Council deputy leader John Reynolds said measures had to be seen as being "fair and reasonable" as far as drivers were concerned, adding: "Some people might try to make up the time they think they have lost." Street lighting would also be needed.

Piling might also present problems because of the soil.
There have also been suggestions the Netherlands, which has similar drains to the Fens, should be approached for ideas.

Mr de Ville said this had been done and it was found the emphasis was on how to get people out of cars if the worst happened.

"The Dutch do not have a magic wand to deal with this," he said. Their idea was for everyone to carry an escape hammer in case they ended up in the water.

Mr de Ville said when accidents occurred locally, engineers did look at possible causes, such as defects in the road surface. If these were found then they could be addressed.

The county had been concerned about the problems of the Forty Foot for a long time, though he acknowledged new technologies were now available.

A HEDGE has been put forward by a road safety engineer as an idea to break the speed of crash drivers heading for the water.

Other 'barrier' solutions are unworkable because of the soil – but a hedge might stop a car in an emergency. Mr de Ville said this was something that could be looked at, adding maintenance would be simple.

The county are also aiming to undertake speed checks to see if speed cameras would be suitable. Mr de Ville felt yellow speed cameras would not work because people tend to slow down for them, then speed up again. However, average speed cameras worked by a driver being clocked as he enters a particular zone and again as he exits it.

Interactive signs, which warn drivers to slow down, could also be looked at, he added.