Calls for road safety inquiry after second lorry crash in a week (VIDEO)
Calls are being made to improve safety on one of the region's busiest roads after the second accident involving a lorry in just a week.
Highways officials are being urged to examine the stretch of carriageway between Garrison Road and Saltend, which incorporates the new Hedon Road, east Hull.
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The overturned lorry at the Marfleet Lane roundabout on Hedon Road, east Hull. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
It comes after another lorry overturned on the route yesterday morning, at the Marfleet Avenue junction.
The truck landed on the cycle path, but no one was hurt.
The latest accident happened exactly a week after 54-year-old cyclist Susan Russell, of east Hull, was killed when a lorry carrying a trailer shed its load just over two miles further down the route on the A63.
Recent accidents have closed carriageways in and out of Hull – effectively shutting access to the city and causing gridlock.
An urgent review into safety is now going to be held to consider what changes need to be made.
Marfleet Ward councillor Sean Chaytor said a meeting is required between all the authorities to investigate how to improve safety.
He said: "An urgent review needs to happen.
"Clearly we have safety issues here, but there is also the fact this is the main arterial road in and out of Hull and when there is an accident it causes chaos. We don't have a solution in mind, but something needs to be done.
"We don't know if there is a problem with the road layout, speed or how vehicles are loaded."
PICTURE GALLERY: Images of the overturned lorry in Hedon Road – and the operation to remove it
Hull East MP Karl Turner has confirmed he will attend the review, along with Humberside Police, and the Road Haulage Association will also be invited.
Hull City Council is also being joined in its calls to the Highways Agency – the organisation responsible for the road – by Mrs Russell's grieving family.
Her sister, Patricia Kipling, 63, said: "Now there have been two crashes in the space of a week, I hope some good comes out of Sue's death and the authorities now do something about the problems on that stretch of road.
"Yesterday I looked at the clock at 7.25am – the time Sue had her accident – and an hour later another lorry had tipped over."
Businesses along the stretch of road are also in favour of the review.
Neil Oliver, managing director of industrial door company Arrow Industrial Group, said: "All businesses operating from Hedon Road and the surrounding areas will welcome this review wholeheartedly.
"The most important issue for any employer is that of guarding the safety of their staff. It's also imperative we are able to transport our products to keep operations running smoothly.
"At present this is simply not the case with the increased amount of incidents along this main road."
Darren Downs, head of roads policing at Humberside Police, said: "We would be happy to assist with initiatives to reduce casualties on the roads."
A spokesperson for the Highways Agency told the Mail they are aware of yesterday's accident and are willing to attend a meeting to review the road.
PICTURE GALLERY: Images of the overturned lorry in Hedon Road – and the operation to remove it
32 Comments
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by Nick West, Hull
Sunday, August 29 2010, 7:39PM
“Hedon Road was a half-baked improvement anyway. With a strange single carriageway flyover at the Saltend junction and a crazy traffic-lighted roundabout at Victoria Dock, then the strange insistence on adding roundabouts (which are not well understood by foreign drivers) which cause pendulum motion for anything with a large load. Originally it had a 50mph speed limit but the number of overturned trucks (and protests from a business) put paid to that and made it a long, dull and under-speed 40 interspersed with crazy roundabouts.
Add to that as it becomes castle street the closing of the right turn from the old town and the addition of yet more lights and Hull is the one of the most difficult cities to get across, with only one major route in (A63) and one (now ruined by a stupid junction with north moor) minor route (A1079) from other large towns.
Proper consultation needs to be made as to how to improve the travel arrangements for Hull, until then lorries will keep falling over on the roundabouts and the city will continue to grind to a halt while the authorities take way too long to clear up the mess.”
by John Ellerby, Hornsea
Sunday, August 29 2010, 4:07PM
“How much is someones life worth? I agree with Paul Kilvington of the Cycling Group on a busy road the cycle lanes should be well seperated from the traffic and this could be done on Hedon Road, the cost is immaterial, otherwise it will happen again.
However it has to be said that there are a minority of lorry drivers who drive too fast around the roundabouts and use the enormous size of their vehicles to intimidate other traffic.”
by J, 'ull
Sunday, August 29 2010, 1:11PM
“One of the major problems on Hedon Road with the roundabouts is the amount of diesel and oil that drips off lorries, making the road surface slippery, and as a result, very dangerous for anyone a little over-zealous on the gas pedal!
Gaz, Corsa VXR - you might be fast in a straight line, but we know what happens to any Vauxhall chassis when it comes to corners, so when we peel you out the middle of a roundabout we'll see who is LingOL!”
by David, Hull
Sunday, August 29 2010, 11:20AM
“I'd just like to say well done to all who have contributed to this topic so far. It is a refreshing change to read well informed, literate, constructive and informative comments rather than the usual illiterate infantile jibes and slagging off.
My own contention is that cycle paths and footpaths should be situated well away from traffic lanes, especially on roads carrying heavy goods vehicles like this one. As can be seen in the picture the lorry is lying right across the cycle track and what looks like a footpath. Anyone walking or cycling there at the time would have suffered the same fate as Mrs Russell.”
by John, West Hull
Sunday, August 29 2010, 10:43AM
“Just ban the HGVs from the outside lane of Clive Sullivan Way and Hedon Road. That would slow them down for sure and stop some of the silly idiots from using the road as a race track.”