Plea for traffic calming after fatal crash (From Daily Echo)

Plea for traffic calming after fatal crash

8:26am Thursday 3rd July 2008

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HIGHWAY chiefs are being urged to install traffic calming measures near the spot where two men were killed in a crash.

Residents living at Lepe Road, Fawley, say action must be taken to curb the speed of traffic using the narrow country route.

A Subaru was attempting to negotiate a right-hand bend on June 7 when it left the road and smashed into a tree.

The driver, Brett Richardson, 27, of Mansfield Road, Gosport, and one of his passengers, Steven Ritchie, 24, of Marchwood Military Port, were both killed.

Mr Richardson's other passenger, a 21- year-old Calshot man was seriously injured.

The accident happened just south of Stone Cottages, which are opposite the junction of Lepe Road and Stanswood Road.

An identical collision occurred at the same spot in March 1982. A car careered off the road and hit a tree, killing two men and seriously injuring a third.

Stuart Harding, who lives nearby, said: "We have had problems here over the years.

"There's a long, straight piece of road before you get to the corner, but there isn't even a sign warning of a bend."

Neighbour Kevin Rolls said: "We need some traffic calming. People come down here at night and tend to drift across the road."

Lee Dunsdon, county councillor for South Waterside, described Lepe Road and Stanswood Road as "a nasty little rural junction".

Commenting on the fact that two fatal crashes had occurred at the same spot he said: "I think it's something the county council should probably be looking at."

Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the latest collision.

A county council spokesman said: "We will visit the site of the accident, if we haven't done so already, and see if any engineering measures might be required."

Asked if common factors could have been involved in both collisions she said the 26-year gap between the two accidents was too great to enable the authority to draw any reliable conclusions.

A police spokesman added: "I believe this would be a matter for the inquest."

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