YES, the A64 is proving to be a "killer" road, as you rightly pointed out in your admirable leading article (June 12).
In August 2000, you printed my letter highlighting the dangers of a heavily used main route leading to the east coast from the industrial Yorkshire heartlands which veers between single and dual carriageway sections.
The situation has become worse since then; we have passed from inconvenience to acute danger, especially at busy times. So I applaud your campaign to close Bilbrough Top gap and deplore the delays in implementing this much-needed measure.
I suggested earlier that this bureaucratic prevarication does not seem to happen on roads in southern England. In predominantly-rural East Anglia, long sections of the A12 and A14 are dual carriageway. Having travelled these routes, I can confirm that they are lightly used in comparison with the A64.
As for the Highways Agency spokeswoman who maintains that traffic flows do not warrant the A64 to be entirely dual carriageway, such complacency would be breathtaking were it not that we have encountered it before.
When the Easingwold bypass was built, with a roundabout only at the southern end, there were several fatal crashes at the northern end T-junction. The Highways Agency said a second roundabout was not necessary, the existing junction was perfectly safe: the fault lay with drivers.
Then the agency admitted defeat and a second roundabout had to be built. So, keep up the pressure, Evening Press - more power to your elbow!
GB Davies,
Pear Tree Avenue,
Upper Poppleton, York.
Updated: 11:20 Thursday, June 19, 2003
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