Member for South West Coast and Shadow Minister for Rural Roads Roma Britnell has again written to Roads Minister Jaala Pulford asking her for urgent action on the Heywood-Woolsthorpe Road.
Ms Britnell said she has written to the minster on several occasions asking her to urgently release funding to upgrade the large sections of roads which are single lane – despite the road being a designated B-Double Truck route.
Her latest letters come after a truck rolled killing up to 60 head of livestock on Monday – the latest in a long list of serious incidents to occur on the road.
“This time it was cattle, but next time it could be a person,” Ms Britnell said.
“The Heywood-Woolsthorpe road is notoriously dangerous, accident waiting to happen is a term thrown around too often – but it’s the best description for this road.
“I’ve written to the Ministers responsible consistently over the past four years asking for something to be done and the reply is always the same – the road will be monitored and upgrades will be considered in future funding rounds.”
Ms Britnell said it was unfathomable that the road was a B-Double Truck Route when it has long stretches of single lane carriage way, forcing vehicles that meet to drive on potholed and dangerous shoulders.
“I’ve spoken to truck drivers who now simply refuse to drive on the road, even if it’s the quickest route, because it’s too dangerous.
“There are school busses that travel along this road and it is the route people who are using GPS systems are often sent along – people who are unfamiliar with the road and often unfamiliar with how to drive to the conditions.
“There has been a number of serious accidents along the road over the past decade and this latest roll-over again show just how perilous the road can be.
“It’s time for the government to stop monitoring the road and start fixing it before someone else is injured or killed.”
