A parish council was urged today to think again before it scuppers a vital safety improvement on the A64 near York.

Bolton Percy, Colton and Steeton Parish Council recently announced it was opposing Government plans to close the lethal central reservation gap at Colton Lane End.

It said it believed a majority of villagers did not support closure. But an Evening Press survey of 50 villagers suggests a clear majority do back closing the gap. Twenty-nine supported closure, compared with 13 opposed to it, and with eight who didn't know or didn't care.

Many villagers said that safety was more important than the additional inconvenience they might face in travelling to York or Leeds. Several said they knew people who had died at the junction.

But many also felt a full interchange should be built as soon as possible afterwards, allowing people to cross the A64 safely without having to go through the gap. And a significant number, particularly in Colton, were worried about congestion and safety problems if extra traffic went through Colton to get to the A64 at Copmanthorpe.

The Highways Agency has said that its forthcoming proposal to close the gap could be withdrawn or subject to a public inquiry if there is significant opposition.

Today Selby MP John Grogan called on the parish council to reassess its position in the light of the Evening Press' findings, saying its stance could potentially jeopardise the scheme.

Villagers supporting closure told the Evening Press that safety had to be the first priority. "I support closure. The first priority is safety," said Prof John Taylor. "It's long overdue. It should have been done a long time ago."

And Michelle Sanders said: "I think the gap is lethal - there have been too many nasty accidents on it. I really think it should be closed."

"It's absolutely essential. There's no question in my mind," said Tom Sawyer, while Vera Pinder claimed she had never been asked for her view by the parish council and said: "It should be shut. It's horrendous."

Jenny Tatton and George Sykes also threw their weight behind the proposals, while Frederick Brookes said: "Personally I think it ought to be closed. I think one death is one death too many."

But a minority of villagers took a different view. Several were very concerned about extra traffic going through Colton to get to the A64 at Copmanthorpe, or about people making an even more dangerous U-turn further along the A64 if the Colton Lane End gap alone was closed.

And Philip Elliff said there should be no closure until a flyover had been built.

Steeton ward councillor Andrew Pearcy, from Bolton Percy Parish Council, said: "At the moment we're standing by the decision we made at the last meeting as nothing else has happened to change us from that."

He said the council believed the gap should stay open until such time as there was a flyover or interchange built.

The Evening Press questioned villagers at random face-to-face and on the telephone within the parish. They were asked whether they supported gap closure now or believed the gaps should remain open, at least until an interchange had been built. There are 370 properties in the electoral register for the parish, meaning we sampled more than ten per cent of residents.

see COMMENT 'One death is one too many'

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