MP TAKES DEPT OF TRANSPORT TO TASK OVER SAFETY ADVICE
January 5, 2010 12:31 PM
North Devon MP Nick Harvey revealed yesterday that he would ask the Transport Secretary what advice was given to local authorities regarding particularly exposed areas of road following the latest tragic fatalities on the A361.
A "Caring, loving" couple killed in a crash on an icy road have been named by police. Stephen Potter, 45, and his wife Melanie, 35, died when the car in which they were travelling was in collision with a lorry on the North Devon Link Road at about 8.30am on Saturday.
Officers confirmed that the road was very icy at the time, despite having been gritted earlier that morning. Police are now investigating whether the conditions were a factor in the collision at Moortown Cross.
It comes after campaigners called for better gritting in the area where a young mother was rendered a paraplegic in an ice-related accident on the same stretch about a year ago.
But Devon County Council said the road was treated at 4am on the day of the incident, with the maximum amount of grit allowed.
Mr Harvey said it was difficult to comment on Saturday's tragedy without knowing the full details. It was possible that the road iced over after being gritted.
"That area is particularly exposed and, clearly, gritting is vital in these winter conditions, but if the council maintains that they have gritted to the maximum allowed, it's difficult to see what more can be done at this stage," he added.
Yesterday, tributes continued to pour in for the South Molton couple. Mourning friends also questioned the safety of the road. One wrote on a website forum that they had "never felt more safe" than when driving with the Potters.
Any blame should be levelled at the Government for failing to duel the road and put up crash barriers. Others called on the local authority to increase the safety of the road.
But Mr Harvey said Devon County Council had put in place a string of measures to increase safety and to stop people from overtaking. "The mistake was made by the Government in the beginning in not building the road as a dual carriageway."
This report was published today by the Western Morning News
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