AROUND 9.5 million journeys were made over the Sheppey Crossing in its first year of operation, according to an audit released by the Highways Agency.

The figure equates to 26,000 journeys across the £100m bridge every day.

The audit found that most people use the crossing safely but some adjustments to signage, road markings and lines of sight are needed, despite the number of accidents on carriageways between Sheerness and Stockbury being lower than the national average.

The audit took information from monitoring visits in the year following the crossing’s opening in July 2006, accident data and site visits made over two days in September.

It was carried out by independent experts, Kent Police and the Highways Agency, and looked at the bridge and junctions either side as well as driver behaviour.

No significant congestion was recorded during the first year and the scheme achieved the objectives of improved and more reliable journey times to and from the Island.

According to Kent County Council figures, there were a total of six accidents involving personal injury along the five-kilometre stretch from the Island to Stockbury between July 1 2006 and June 30 2007 - slightly below the predicted average of 6.6 accidents for a rural dual carriageway carrying 26,000 journeys a day.

Kent Police recorded a further 18 non-injury incidents, including one occasion where a police car attending an emergency in the area was hit despite having its blue lights on.

This prompted Chief Constable Mike Fuller to criticise the lack of lighting, emergency phones and safety arrangements for officers clearing accidents on the bridge itself.

The audit includes a letter from him calling for permanent signage to be put in place so that lanes could be closed more quickly after an accident.

The audit also found that clearer signage and stronger enforcement was needed to stop drivers ignoring signs at the traffic light junctions on Brielle Way and making illegal right-turns and U-turns