Lancashire roads among most dangerous in country (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Lancashire roads among most dangerous in country

4:52pm Thursday 25th June 2009 in

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A LANCASHIRE road have been named and shamed as one of the most dangerous in the country.

The A675 which runs from junction three of the M65 past Hoghton through to Higher Walton was given the title in a study by the Road Safety Foundation.

It also found that the A681 that runs from Bacup town centre to Waterfoot was a high risk road.

Residents said they were not surprised by the findings and called for improved safety measures.

Lancashire Country Council said it had introduced traffic calming measures such as reducing the speed limit and is urging motorists to stick to the speed limit.

Since the scheme was implemented last autumn, the latest data indicates there have been no serious road injuries or fatalities along the seven kilometre stretch.

Joe Proctor, 82, of Hoghton Lane, said: “It is not a shock, my wife and I have lived on this road since 1955 since we married.

“The number of people killed on the road is in double figures now.

“But last year the council did put in some traffic calming measures.

“At weekends it is like the Isle of Man TT because people know if they speed they can get away with it.”

Coun David Dickenson, who lives off Hoghton Road, said: “They have done quite a bit of work on the road.

"We wanted the speed to be reduced to 50mph but it was reduced to 40mph.”

Marel Urry, of Hoghton Lane, said: “I hope they will listen to what we have been saying for many years.

“We fought for at least five years for the speed to be reduced.”

A spokesperson for the Royal Oak Hotel, Riley Green, said: “It is not suprising the road is one of the worst in the country.

“People speed along the straights and the bends.

“Generally people are over confident about their driving ability.”

Vali Birang, head of traffic and safety at Lancashire County Council said: “The council is committed to reducing casualties on the county’s roads and we are making excellent progress towards meeting tough targets set by the Department for Transport for 2010.

“The latest figures for 2008 indicate reductions of 46.5 per cent in the number of children killed or seriously injured and 32.7 per cent in number of people killed or seriously injured – against a target of 50 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.”