More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Home Sittingbourne News Article
A mum-of-two is calling for a 30mph speed limit to be introduced at an accident blackspot.
Julia Honour, of Ashtead Drive, Bapchild, near Sittingbourne, says a stretch of the A2 needs urgent action to make sure road users are safe.
On June 20, a 62-year-old cyclist was airlifted to hospital after a crash on London Road near the junction with Hempstead Lane, close to Hempstead House Hotel.
The wife of the cyclist, Santus Circus co-owner Roger Santus, has spoken of her husband's injuries following the crash.
His condition was described as serious but has since improved, according to a police spokesman.
Tragically, in February 2018, 40-year-old pedestrian Alan McWhinnie lost his life on the same stretch when he was hit by a car.
Now, Mrs Honour has launched a petition calling for a reduced speed limit to be enforced along the A2, between Bapchild and Teynham, from 60mph to 30mph.
She has also taken the matter up with Kent County Council, which is in charge of roads.
Mrs Honour said: “We want to stop accidents.
“You come out of Teynham where it’s 30mph and just before the cricket club there’s a national speed limit of 60mph going to where the accident happened.
“You have to try to slow down relatively quickly and I think that’s one of the big problems.
“People living nearby say it’s like a race track. We’re just trying to stop any future accidents from happening.”
Bapchild Parish Council has also repeatedly raised concerns about the road’s safety.
Vice Chairman Richard Bush said: “The problem is so serious we believe this should be addressed by a ‘rapid action’ response from the highway authority.”
Mrs Honour’s petition, which aims to collect 100 signatures, includes crash data showing there have been 11 crashes in the last three years, one a fatality - Mr McWhinnie’s tragic accident - and another two were people were seriously hurt.
In the past 11 years seven people have been killed there.
“As you can see from the statistics it is a hot spot,” Mrs Honour said.
“I don’t thing anything’s being done. I don’t want to sit back and not do anything so I’m doing my best with what I know.
“If people could support us in this maybe we would be able to get people to listen.”
Visit tinyurl.com/A2Petition to sign the petition
