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For Immediate Release 21 September 2003
AA Motoring Trust Confirm Alliance A24 Findings.
The
industry respected, AA motoring trust-led, European Road Assessment Programme
(Euro RAP) in its latest risk rate study of 830 major British
roads, has concluded that the A24 is a low - medium or medium risk, with the
Warnham to Findon Valley low - medium risk and the rest medium. In other
words, none of the A24 posses a higher than average crash risk.
The study states the worst roads in West Sussex, (rated medium to high risk) are
the A283 Washington to Shoreham and the A264 Horsham to A29. In fact the study
reports there are no high-risk roads in West Sussex.
The study highlights, how low cost measures had dramatically reduced serious
crashes on 13 of the nations most dangerous roads. In all, 20 lives and 180
serious injuries were saved in just 2 years by improvements to junction layout,
installing speed cameras, better signage and road markings.
Speaking for the A24 Alliance Peter Finch said: "This report is dynamite,
it blows apart West Sussex County Councils reported safety, as the reason for
multi million pound road works on the A24. Throughout our campaign we have
insisted that such an expensive re-modelling of the A24, on safety grounds,
was un-necessary when speed control measures were a better value for money
solution.
Peter Finch added: "No, its obvious the real reason for the A24 plan, is to
turn the road into an expressway from Worthing to the M25, as we have always
maintained. Such a road would open up land around Kingsfold and Warnham for
house building. It would create a high-speed road, encouraging even more
long distance commuting by car, and also make a second runway at Gatwick more
likely"
ENDS.
Notes for Editors.
Typical costs for road safety measures are: crash barrier £100,000 per 1km
(cheaper per km for longer stretches); white lines £1 per metre; pedestrian
refuge £2,000; safety improvements on a bend £10,000 (anti-skid surface,
improved signs, new road markings etc); converting fourway junction into
large roundabout £500,000; speed camera £25,000.
The link to in-depth coverage of the study is at:
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/archive/features/dangerous_roads.shtml
and
http://195.167.162.57/pdf/eurorapbulletin3.pdf
The A24 Alliance was formed in January 2003 by a number of residents who live in
the various villages and individual locations along the A24 from
Dorking to Worthing.