Rotherham councillor launches petition and pressures council for safety measures after fatal accident

Councillor Simon Ball, Conservative member for Hellaby and Maltby West Ward addressed RMBC’s cabinet during their meeting today, to plead for better safety measures on Cumwell Lane/Kingsforth Lane in Thurcroft, following a fatal RTA at the weekend.

On Friday evening (February 11), a 30 year-old man who was pronounced dead after his vehicle lost control after a bend and collided into a nearby field.

Coun Ball said lowering the national speed limit on the road, along with a speed camera and roadside barriers would be helpful in reducing accidents, and added that ‘we can’t afford any more deaths on that road’.

“They [RMBC] seem to be dragging their heels.”

Coun Ball added that he had concerns about extra traffic on the route after the planning committee passed outline planning permission for a new warehouse between the J1 of the M18, Cumwell Lane and Sandy Lane to the south of Hellaby.

He said that the road suffers from a ‘bad adverse camber’ on a bend, and speed is an issue on the whole road.

Councillor Ball asked members at today’s (February 14) meeting: “I‘m here again unfortunately because we’ve had another death on Cumwell Road, Kingsforth Lane.

“It was two months ago since I came and asked that we’ve got some more safety measures on that road.

“The same very day that the petition was filed about safety on that road, there was a death of another person travelling on that road

“The last time we came you said it would be a lengthy process.

“I’m now appealing the we get on with this very quickly.

“Can we have a look at this as a matter of urgency?”

Councillor Ball and his colleagues submitted a petition to the council on Friday, calling for the council to take ‘significant action’, such as ‘making the road much slower, installation of barriers and resurfacing the road to ensure the potential for further loss of life is minimised’.

“Action needs taking now by RMBC to address the root cause and to ensure the chance of further accidents and lives lost is reduced.

“Increased signage, substantial cleaning on site before lorries exit, street lighting, speed bumps or dare I say reduced speed limit and cameras. All relatively cheap measures compared to the loss of human life.”

Councillor Dominic Beck, cabinet member for transport and the environment, told Coun Ball: “I heard about the tragic events of the weekend, and condolences to the family and friends of that individual who has passed away.

“We are still ongoing with with our regular work in terms of sweeping the highway, our engagement with the landfill site down there.

“Our medium to longer term work around if there’s anything that we need to do in response to events recently around potentially traffic regulation orders, changes to, for example, that speed on there, and many other things that are available tools are working forward at pace, I can assure you of that.

“It’s just tragic, unfortunately, that something else has happened down there on the same road. It’s important that we reassure you and the public that we are taking this seriously.”

Paul Woodcock, Rotherham Council’s strategic director for regeneration and environment, told the meeting that ‘a high number of temporary signs’ have been placed along the road, and have ‘escalated to South Yorkshire Police and the safer roads partnership in terms of enforcement action’.

Mr Woodcock added that he council has been assessing the number of accidents on the road, and the process is ‘moving forward’ to assess safety options, such as lowering the speed limit, or adding crash barriers.

“We have looked at both the short term and the medium to long term measures, just to give you assurance that it is the top of our list.”

To view and sign the petition, visit: moderngov.rotherham.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=81&fbclid=IwAR0JTDuKC2jOL5fkIS4Z0PXAFHUrDKFd8w7_rrvscCSEbf9ZMDxaxS3Z1HQ