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RHA calls for dual A66

25th January 2001
Page 10
Page 10, 25th January 2001 — RHA calls for dual A66
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• Haulage leaders are pressing for the entire A66 trans-Pennine route to be uprated to dual carriageway in a bid to cut its accident rate which costs almost 10 lives every year.

The Road Haulage Association describes the 50-mile road from Penrith to Scotch Corner as one of the most dangerous in the UK and says it has a high proportion of trucks doing long-distance journeys.

A study published by consultants Maunsell Transport Planning (MP) for the Highways Agency has come up with a plan designed to improve safety on the route.

But RHA northern regional director Geoff Dunning says the study favours the £25m option of combining traffic calming with some dual carriageway instead of dualling the entire route at a cost of 2,43m.

He argues that traffic calming will make no difference to drivers who are unfamiliar with where the single-carriageway sections are. If a car pulls out to overtake an HGV and runs into another HGV, the car is going to have a serious problem," he says. "We are talking about finishing off a job that is already more than half done."

The RHA is part of the A66 Completion Group which includes the Confederation of British Industry and three local authorities.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency says MTP will submit its final report in March following consultation with the group: "It will then be up to the regional planning bodies to decide what to take forward as their priority."


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