Safety measures set to be installed on problem roads
TWO Ashington roads are to be made safer in a bid to prevent accidents in the wake of a horror crash which saw a car fly through the air and land in a nearby garden.
A toddler miraculously evaded injury in the September 2019 crash, which left driver Steven Taylor with “life-changing” injuries, after he flouted the speed limit on Newbiggin Road in the Northumberland town.
Newcastle Crown Court heard this week that Taylor, 32, who was driving at over the 30mph limit, lost control of his car while navigating the roundabout linking to North Seaton Road, where a street light acted “almost like a ramp”, sending the car flying into over a wall and into a garden.
Now, traffic-calming measures have been approved for both roads after consultation with locals in a bid to prevent any more incidents.
The new measures will include narrowed carriageway lane widths, raising the existing puffin crossing and the introduction of one set of ‘speed cushions’ 88 metres north of the roundabout on North Seaton Road. On Newbiggin Road, a raised junction table will be introduced together with a pedestrian ‘build-out’ feature at the site of the existing school crossing patrol.
An interactive sign will advise drivers of a 20mph speed limit during school start and finish times.
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “I am pleased that residents have supported the proposed safety scheme to improve these roads in Ashington. This is great news for the residents and those who use the local school.”
Coun Brian Gallacher, councillor for the Haydon ward, said: “These improvements come after a serious collision took place on these roads, and several other minor incidents in recent years.
“After a full consultation with residents we were able to develop a plan that will introduce safer road measures that will undoubtedly reassure many of our residents, in particular those making their journey to and from school by foot.”
Taylor, of Garden City Villas, Ashington, who had been told not to drive by doctors following a head injury, admitted dangerous driving and got four months’ jail, suspended for 12 months, with a one-year road ban.