A CAMPAIGNER has won her fight to get safety improvements at a notorious accident blackspot in Teesdale after she was involved in a bad smash this spring.
Louise Robinson and her four passengers escaped serious injury when a van failed to stop at the Kinninvie crossroads and clipped the rear driver’s side of her Nissan Micra in February.
The collision caused Ms Robinson’s car to spin round and go off the road, coming to a halt just inches from a hedge. It was the latest in a long-line of crashes and near misses at the cross roads, and prompted Ms Robinson to start an online petition.
More than 1,000 people signed, calling for improvements to the layout.
Now Durham County Council has agreed to install signs and paint new markings. Ms Robinson, a primary school teacher who lives in Holwick, said: “I’m really happy – this might actually stop people from driving over without stopping.
“People have been doing that, despite all the publicity about the road and the petition. This petition has maybe made them see how much this means to local people. As far as I know, no-one has really spoken up about the crossroads like this before. It’s just been, ‘oh, not another accident’, and then it gets forgotten.”
Brian Buckley, Durham County Council’s strategic highways manager, said: “Following a site meeting with a local councillor, residents and a family, we have already identified improvements which can be made in this location to highlight the presence of the crossroads and improve road safety, by painting road markings and installing signs.
“It has not been possible to carry out these improvements yet due to the coronavirus pandemic but they will be included in our programme of works now normal highways projects have resumed.”
