I welcome a report commissioned by Highways England which has concluded that up to 17 gaps in the central reservation of the A19 in North Yorkshire could be closed. The gaps in the busy dual carriageway between Dishforth, near Thirsk, and Crathorne, near Yarm, have been identified in a Highways England (HE) study conducted at the request of Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond and myself. This was following an inquest into the death of a pensioner from Thirsk who died when a van crossed from one carriageway to another through a central reservation gap and hit her car head-on.
Mr Sunak and I were pleased to support the family of the woman who died – 83-year-old Sonia Rose, of Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk – to demand safety improvements. Highways England agreed to close the gap where Mrs Rose died – Stony Lane, south of the Cleveland Tontine, near Osmotherley – and to conduct a major study of all the gaps on the road between the junction with the A1(M) in North Yorkshire and the Tyne Tunnel.
Ben Dobson from HE’s operations directorate told us that the A19 in North Yorkshire had three times more gaps than a typical dual carriageway road and the stretch between Crathorne and South Kilvington had the most serious accidents in recent years.
The HE report had identified 17 gaps where the optimal solution was closure and another 39 where safety improvements, including better road markings, improved fencing terminals and signage would be appropriate. Mr Dobson said any closure proposal would be subject to funding being found. There would also be consultation with local users and communities, as was currently the case with the gap at Stony Lane.
Work would continue on accident analysis of all the gaps to prioritise the improvements, he said. He was confident closure work would be completed at Stony Lane in the current financial year, subject to the successful conclusion of the consultation process.
I’m pleased that Highways England has carried out this study and the results certainly show that, subject to funding and consultation, there are a number of actions which could be taken to improve safety. It’s important we do everything we can to make sure the road is as safe as possible both for drivers and pedestrians.