Widow backs safety plans for notorious A35 (From Bournemouth Echo)

Widow backs safety plans for notorious A35

7:00am Friday 26th June 2009 in

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A WIDOW who lost her husband on one of Dorset’s most dangerous routes has backed bold plans to tackle road safety in the area.

Janet Wiles’s husband Peter died in a collision on the A35 near Bloxworth in 2005.

She has been calling for action to improve safety along the stretch of road following a spate of fatal accidents earlier this year.

Mrs Wiles was accompanied by her son Antony and brother-in-law Alan, Peter’s brother, when she went to meet representatives from Dorset County Council and Dorset Police to discuss the safety of the road from Bere Regis to the Baker’s Arms roundabout.

She raised concerns about the speed limit on the road and the proximity of the trees to the carriageway, while Alan suggested cable barriers along the side of the route.

The council’s team leader for road safety education Robert Smith said they would look at all of the concerns raised and stressed they were in the midst of an ongoing process to improve safety along the route.

Mr Smith said that the council had big plans for a major road safety campaign based on a successful trial scheme in Essex.

The scheme involved intense police targeting of known road safety trouble spots and a “zero tolerance” policy.

He said the council was in the process of bidding for funding and was hoping to launch the scheme in the autumn.

Mr Smith said that in the shorter term the council was thinking of putting up a series of signs at either end of the route that highlight the dangers of the stretch of road and ask drivers if they are still concentrating.

He added: “We have got to do something because we are not meeting our government targets for people killed and seriously injured on our roads and we don’t know why. We are doing everything we can.”

He added that the council was already considering lowering the speed limit on the whole stretch to 50mph when new national legislation comes into force giving local authorities more influence in setting speed restrictions on rural A roads.

Mr Smith said around 100 local people and regular road users had already taken part in free educational driving instructor sessions along the route from Bere Regis to the Baker’s Arms roundabout and the feedback had been overwhelmingly positive.

He said that in the last 18 months there have been improvements and road widening at Morden Park Corner, re-lining of the entire seven-mile stretch of road, clearing of the tree canopy, hedge and verge clearance, regular police patrols, speed enforcement signing and mobile speed cameras in use.

Mrs Wiles said she would be pleased to help where she could in the council’s campaign to improve safety on the route.

She said after the meeting: “I’m pleased there is something moving along.

“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done and once these things are put in place I think the A35 is going to be a lot safer.

“If we can change just one thing then Pete’s accident will not have been in vain but hopefully it will be more than one thing.”

She added: “High visibility policing is an absolute must.”