Heavenly Yorkshire's Road from Hell
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Life is hell for local people living alongside and using the A1079 in Yorkshire. It is one of the most dangerous and congested roads in the country and poor planning is to blame. It is a problem that is being played out all over the country, and Timothy Kirkhope, Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, and Transport and Tourism Spokesman, is calling on the Government to sort it out.
The A1079 is not an isolated case, and it is a good example of bad transport infrastructure. It is part of the East-West corridor, taking vast amounts of goods from the port of Hull to York and beyond. The huge volume of traffic passes through small towns and villages which can't cope with the congestion and pollution, proving a frustration for residents and motorists alike.
The European Road Assessment Programme survey, which gives all major roads in Europe a safety rating, classed the A1079 as 'Medium-high risk' between Market Weighton and Hull, highlighting it as one of the 10 most dangerous roads in the country.
By de-trunking the road in 2003, the Government transferred responsibility to two local authorities, but all this has done is to limit the funding available to it. Mr Kirkhope is looking at the possibility of European money being used because of the road's strategic importance, but this may depend on what category the road belongs to.
Mr Kirkhope said:
"The effects of poor infrastructure have a hugely detrimental effect on the local economy, but perhaps more importantly they make life a misery for residents and motorists. The A1079 is a classic example. Here is a road the needs funding, but the Government has abdicated responsibility. The planning has been very poor and calls for a Feasibility Study have all but been ignored.
"I'd like to see the Government use this as opportunity to regenerate the area. Funding is needed to make the A1079 safer and more efficient. How many more deaths on this stretch of road will it take for the Government to act?"
ENDS
