Upgrade of A64 'vital to region'

An article in today's The Press by Richard Catton discusses the possible upgrade of the A64 in light of Thirsk and Malton's MP Anne McIntosh's call upon the Government "to commit to a major upgrade of the 35-mile stretch". The article also includes a commentary by North Yorkshire county councillor Ron Haigh who the article quotes as saying

"I represent villages from Rillington to Staxton and the only way we are cut the accident rate on the A64 is to go dual carriageway. If it was dual carriageway, I believe the number of road deaths in North Yorkshire would plummet. But it's not just the accident rate and deaths. Until we have a decent road in and out of Scarborough we are not going to get the investment. "

MP calls for fast road to coast...

Today's Yorkshire Post ran a long article by Paul Jeeves regarding the Rillington Bypass:

"Government Ministers will be urged tomorrow to push ahead with a massive programme of road improvements costing as much as £500m on North Yorkshire's main route to the coast. The campaign to upgrade the A64 between York and Scarborough has repeatedly fallen victim to funding shortages as previous governments gave other schemes greater priority. But concerns are now growing that seaside town regeneration is being jeopardised by inadequate links to the coast."

The article continues by discussing the concerns of Anne McIntosh, the MP for Thirsk and Malton:

"[Miss McIntosh] has tabled a question calling on a Government commitment to prioritise the A64 scheme to boost road safety and help the regeneration of Yorkshire's coastal communities. Miss McIntosh conceded that Government's attempts to cut public spending would significantly hit such schemes. But she added: 'The A64 should be a priority road and any improvements would be of benefit to not just North Yorkshire, but the region as a whole. It ticks all the right boxes - helping prevent congestion, a green agenda and improving road safety as well as the economic benefits of providing a better road network to the Yorkshire coast."

As part of the article, Rillington Bypass Group member Alan Robinson was also interviewed:

"To have a bypass in Rillington would change so many people's lives - a lot of the villagers are scared to walk along the side of the A64. We are pushing for the bypass for Rillington, but the whole stretch of the A64 between York and Scarborough needs to be looked at. It is such an important route, and one that needs major investment."

The article concludes with "Scarborough councillors will get an update on Monday about the A64 transport corridor study before a draft report is published in September."

Radio Broadcast

Sally Roger, the Chairperson for the Rillington Bypass Group. was interviewed today as part of a feature on a forthcoming broadcast of the BBC Radio York programme the Adam Tomlison Show. The interview is scheduled for broadcast on Thursday 22nd July.

Crash leads to new bypass call

Today's Malton & Pickering Mercury have reported on the recent crash on the Scampston slip road, just outside of Rillington. The article describes the accident and the following events before discussing the potential need for a bypass:

"The crash has once again led campaigners demanding a bypass to ease the congestion through the village and follows on from two serious accidents last year which were the catalyst for reigniting the campaign first launched decades ago."

The article includes an interview with bypass campaigner Beatrice Robinson, who states that

"It is quite appalling. We have basically been forgotten by many and condemned by few. It seems we do not count. If we have the bypass in 2006, it would have been finished in 2009 and this would never have happened."

The article also states the following figures:

"During last survey carried out by the Highways Agency, figures revealed that an average of 14,800 vehicles pass through the village, of which 1,300 are commercial vehicles."