New efforts to reduce death toll on A338

Numerous people have lost their lives on the road, the latest being Linda Williams of Weston-super-Mare who died as the result of a collision at Breamore on April 29.

Other recent victims have been Carol Jeal of Ringwood, Christine Hodges from Parkstone and Andrew Callis of Ringwood.

Fed up with the toll of human suffering and anguish, members of Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley Parish Council organised a meeting with Hampshire County Council road safety experts.

Cllr Emma Lane, who is heading the parish council A338 team said as well as the fatalities, there had been numerous serious accidents on the road.

“As a parish we thought, ‘Let’s try and understand it better’,” she said.

“It IS driver error. People don’t slow down and it’s their own fault. But we can’t always use this as an excuse.”

The meeting was held on May 13. The following day workmen were out cutting back hedges and verges where they compromised visibility.

The road safety team went back to Winchester to look at other ideas, including improving the hatching marks on the road at Ellingham Crossroads, putting in extra double white lines to prevent overtaking at potentially dangerous locations and replacing missing cats’ eyes at Blashford.

Remedial work is to be investigated at the Hucklesbrook bends near Gorley.

We’re also looking at putting in some of the SIDs (Speed Indicator Devices) that we can move around the parish,” said Cllr Lane.

“They are doing some more work at Bicton and putting in a bend warning sign.”

The road safety team will also be looking at how traffic flows on the road will develop over the coming years.

The county council is also expected to complete a review of 60mph limits on A and B category roads by 2011.

County councillor Kathy Heron said: “It was a very constructive meeting and the county officers have gone away to prepare a response to that.”