tracy123 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 As many as 58% of Britain's A-roads and 25% of motorways fail to rate as safe, a survey has revealed. Single-carriageway A-roads were rated as the most dangerous roads, said the Road Safety Foundation survey covering risk levels for the last nine years. A 7.5 mile stretch of the A537 from Macclesfield in Cheshire to Buxton in Derbyshire remains one of Britain's most dangerous roads, with a 42% rise in the number of fatal and serious collisions since last year. The RSF said that of the 27 fatal and serious accidents on this stretch of road, 18 involved motorcyclists but Cheshire County Council's efforts to improve the safety of the road mean that when motorcyclists are excluded from the analysis, this stretch becomes one of Britain's safest roads. Overall, when motorcyclist collisions are removed from the league table, the four-mile stretch of the A675 between Higher Walton and the M65 (J3) in Lancashire is Britain's most dangerous road. Of the "persistently higher risk" roads, eight out of 10 were in the north of England around the Buxton, Sheffield, Macclesfield and Yorkshire and Humberside areas. The foundation added that a 27-mile stretch of single carriageway on the A40 between Carmarthen and Llandovery in Wales was Britain's most improved road. The previous level of 54 fatal and serious collisions had been cut by more than 80% to 10 by introducing measures such as resurfacing. RSF director Dr Joanne Hill said: "Overwhelmingly, the UK's highest-risk roads are single-carriageways. Motorways and primary A-roads are the ones drivers use to travel longer journeys, such as for holidays or for long-distance haulage. "But it is the busy non-primary routes - the ones that take volumes of traffic at all hours between towns and villages across Britain - that the new survey shows represent the highest risk, accounting for 62% of all road deaths." The foundation's study took account of more than 28,000 of Britain's motorway and A-roads. Dr Hill said: "Over half of Britain's road deaths are concentrated on the 10% of the network we have mapped. Despite significant advances in knowledge, engineering practice and road-safety countermeasures, 60% of the A-road sections do not achieve even the top two safest risk bands that we would expect. She added: "In the past, authorities have successfully focused on removing isolated blackspots. Now they must switch their approach and target safety measures along the risky A-routes. We need safe villages, safe junctions, safe roadsides and safe overtaking." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Hubby and I were talking about roads the other day and my route to work has had major road works (widening the road as new housing developement and shops etc.,), since last year, but it seems to have been so well organised and without major disruption. I don't know if this is the 'aussie way' but we both commented how it would have caused chaos in our home town in the UK. ... Sorry Geoff slightly differnent than road safety, but it just made me think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 I don't know Ali, I spent nearly 4 months in Australia at the start of this year and while in Sydney they were laying new tarmac near the depot the amount of times they made me reverse my truck....... i took great delight in flattening their cones........ Then there was the Hume Hwy at the bottom of every hill they would lower the speed limit to 40 kms and that was for 125 km of road!!!!! Trust me with 50 odd ton of weight on its not much fun........ I would work out my run to miss the worst of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Hubby and I were talking about roads the other day and my route to work has had major road works (widening the road as new housing developement and shops etc.,), since last year, but it seems to have been so well organised and without major disruption. I don't know if this is the 'aussie way' but we both commented how it would have caused chaos in our home town in the UK. ... Sorry Geoff slightly differnent than road safety, but it just made me think. Nowt to do with the aussie way its worse than the uk ,just the fact that the roads are grids and easier to get a different route , they are pissin about on the mitchell with new concrete barriers (whish will mean more fatal crashes ) for ages instead of doing sections at a time no well put roadworks down the full length boo. An articla on the box about the bad state of the perth roads (more tax) The road in question near Buxton ius very popular with bikers and petrol heads , Put the same road overhere and i think the outcome would be much worse with the v8 loonies here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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