'Have we got the worst A road in England?'
Last updated at 12:34, Thursday, 04 March 2010
A VICAR has used his column in a village newsletter to rant about the "dangerous" A595.
AMY FENTON gets reaction to Reverend Macolm Cowan's comments and reports on the growing campaign for improvements to the road
SIGN THE PETITION AND HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
- ‘Massive’ amount of cash to upgrade A595
- MP gives his support to improve A595
- ‘Not suitable for modern-day traffic’
IN the Vicar’s View column of the March 2010 edition of the Kirkby Caller, the village’s newsletter produced by St Cuthbert’s Church, Reverend Malcolm Cowan said: “Kirkby is beautiful but have we got the worst A road in England?
The St Cuthbert’s Church choir sing ‘Kirkby is beautiful’ and it truly is. What glorious views over the estuary and the fells around.
As I write, blue skies, snow on Black Combe and brilliant sunshine abound. It is a good place to bring up children with a wonderful Church of England primary school. Also, a village shop, garages, pubs, football and cricket ground, tennis and bowls and much more.
And if all that is not enough to recommend Kirkby, it sits on an A road, the main route from Barrow to Whitehaven. It all sounds so good.
Well, not if you travel from Grizebeck to Askam or vice versa, No! No! No!.
It is one of the most dangerous roads I have ever travelled on in well over 40 years of driving.
Wagons can’t pass without stopping and bending wing mirrors in. Most of the time a wagon coming towards you will be taking up quite a bit of your side of the road, there is no choice for the drivers of them, the road in places is so narrow.
Wing mirrors are a thing you are better without on these roads unless you enjoy watching them being knocked off.
Squeezing by is often the norm and at Grizebeck you can’t squeeze by, it is one way without lights. And if you should dare to walk along the road, well, check the life insurance policy before you venture out.
It is ridiculous and in places more like a back lane than an A route. Even better there are 50mph signs on corners, where if you could drive at 50mph, you could sign up to work with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. The thought of cars or wagons coming together on these tracks at 100mph is unthinkable.
I know it is the maximum speed limit but they are also placed near slow down signs – there must be a comedian at work on the highways around here.
Now, if all that is not bad enough, and it is, some of the ruts in the road from Askam have holes deeper than Quatermass (if you’re my age or more, you’ll remember it) and driving this road is almost as frightening.
And is it beyond the wit of man to have a waste paper bin on lay-by parking areas that have enough litter lying there to start our own landfill site? What do we have with this glorious A route, apart from possibly the worst A route in England? – We have an accident waiting to happen.
Do our highways authority care?
Does South Lakeland District Council ever give it a thought?
Does the local MP fight for a better road?
Do the local council do all they can and does anyone listen to them?
Do we all just sit back and accept this dangerous A road and wait for the next fatal accident and shake our heads again when probably we should all hang them in shame?
A for apology, A for accident, A for righteous anger at those who allow it to go on like this?"
First published at 11:12, Thursday, 04 March 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Many times whilst on holiday in Scotland we used a bridge across an estuary just north of Inverness,an area very similar to the Duddon. Each time it featured on the BBC "Balloon flight" before programmes we used to say if it can be done up there why not here?
View all 46 comments on this article
Have your say
Perhaps consideration could be made for a tidal energy barrage with roadway above. with the huge benefit of power generation from the twice daily tides.
Posted by Richard on 29 August 2010 at 14:07