‘Unless something is done, there will be more accidents’
AMUM-OF-TWO has backed calls to reduce the speed limit on the section of the A68 in Northumberland close to where she lives.
Glynis Murray-Hill, 39, said her family put their lives at risk every day due to the nature of the road north of Corbridge. It comes after residents, including Mrs Murray-Hill, signed a petition calling for improved safety measures on the route, following the death of two people in collisions since 2018.
At last week’s meeting of the Tynedale Local Area Committee, members were told that the speed limit should be reduced from 60mph to 40mph between the junction with the B6318 and the C225 at Bingfield.
Mrs Murray Hill outlined to The Journal the situation she says is faced by her family. She said: “My family and I live in an estate that requires turning off on a blind spot on the A68 to reach our home. We risk our lives daily due to poor signage and the unusual gradients of the roads.
“It is impossible to make our turn safely with the current road speeds and signage. I regularly speak with local residents who share stories of near misses or their own experiences of accidents. Our local postman was involved in a serious accident and had to be cut out of his vehicle.
“I have spoken with a couple who had just attended the funeral of the latest fatality on our stretch of road and I have links with the other fatality late last year. I don’t want my kids to be next, and unless something is done, there will only be more accidents. I hope this petition and meeting is a stepping stone and a catalyst to get the changes made. We have even considered moving, as we know the dangers that could be approaching us while we sit stationary like sitting ducks.”
Northumberland County Council said they were waiting to receive reports from Northumbria Police on the causes behind the most recent fatal collision last month, in which a 57-year-old man was killed when his car collided with a HGV. After this, further safety measures would be looked at, with councillors broadly supportive of further measures.