Bypass Injustice

Rillington residents Colin and Rosalind Wicks have sent a letter to the Malton Gazette and Herald expressing their views about the long-running battle for a bypass for Rillington. In their letter, which has been published in the February 24 2010 edition of the paper, Colin and Rosalind state that

"Sadly, the [long-running] 'history' [of the bypass] does not detail the noise, dirt, air pollution, the danger and inconvenience that this busy trunk road, right through the centre of a village, creates for the local population"

They also state that

"It must be obvious that this bypass is long overdue. We would like to know how a bypass scheme that has obtained top priority from the Government on three separate occasions over the past 20 years is not even considered by a regional consortium; and how is it possible for the North Yorkshire County Council to provide bypasses around smaller communities, with roads that have far less traffic."

Click on the image to read the full letter.

"MPs join long-running battle for village bypass"

The recent activities of the Rillington Bypass Group have been recorded in the February 17 th 2010 edition of the Gazette & Herald. The article, by David Jeffels states:

"Three MPs have agreed to take up the case for a bypass for Rillington, which has been on the drawing board for years... MPs John Greenway (Ryedale), Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby), and Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) have met protesters and are taking up their pleas with Department of Transport ministers.

Bea Robinson, one of the leaders of the campaign, said "We had a very successful meeting with the MPs and they are fully behind our cause and our aim to improve the quality of life for Rillington people."

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group will meet 17/02/10 at Rillington Village Hall.

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group will meet 13/01/10 at Rillington Village Hall.

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group are to met with MPs John Greenway (Ryedale), Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby) and Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) to discuss the A64 and its possible bypass.

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group will meet 09/12/09 at Rillington Village Hall.

Letters to the Press: "Villagers want a safe and peaceful life"

Rillington residents Mr and Mrs Tony and Dyanne Morrison have had their letter calling for a bypass printed in today’s edition of the Malton & Pickering Mercury. In their letter they quote a Highways Agency survey conducted in 2007 which found that a staggering 15,000 vehicles pass through the village each day. They also relate a personal experience which highlights a further problem of the single carriageway:

“Recently I was in the unfortunate situation where a family member was injured and had to be taken immediately to hospital. As the ambulance started driving towards York I asked why we were not going to Scarborough Hospital. The reply from the driver was that to the fact that the A64 to York was partially dualled made the journey quicker than the single carriageway to Scarborough”

Letters to the Press: "Bypass is essential for the traffic of today"

Rillington resident Mr Alan Robinson has had his letter calling for a bypass printed in today’s edition of the Malton & Pickering Mercury. Mr Robinson points out that section of the A64 which passes through the heart of the village “was never designed for the relentless heavy traffic which now passes through. Quite simply the road is inadequate for the 21st century”. He also states “There have been many serious accidents in the village and the safety of residents is paramount.”

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group will meet 11/11/09 at Rillington Village Hall.

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group are to met with Sergent Neil Campbell and Inspector Tim Hutchinson to discuss the A64 and road safety issues on Tuesday 24th November.

“Bypass Campaigners seek meeting with police chief”

An article appeared in today’s Malton & Pickering Mercury, outlining the plans the newly formed Rillington Bypass Group (RBG) has for its campaign: headed by local resident Sally Roger, the group has began organising meetings with Ryedale police commander Inspector Tim Hutchinson, Ryedale MP John Greenway and the Conservative’s shadow transport minister Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby. In the article, Mrs Roger states

“It has gone beyond a joke. You used to be able to tell the difference between the seasons because of the traffic, but there is no difference now whatever the time of year”.

Whilst the article discusses the RBG’s plans, it also presents a wider picture of the situation, stating that “latest figures show that the average number of vehicles passing through the village has jumped form 13,500 to 15,300 a day during the past few years”, figures which validate Mrs Roger observations. The article closes with a quote from Richard Marr, the council’s area manager for highways and transport who reflected on the wider value of the bypass in terms of the local economy and the increase in journey time:

“Wages in Ryedale are fairly low compared with other parts of the country. If we can get a better route then we can build the economy and businesses will want to come here. But if we cannot move the vehicles in and out then it becomes a nightmare”.

Letters to the Press: "A bypass is long overdue"

Alongside a letter from Sally Roger, Rillington resident Mr M R Denton has also had his letter calling for a bypass printed in today’s edition of the Malton & Pickering Mercury. In this letter Mr Denton highlights the long history of the bypass campaign:

“I moved to Rillington nearly 20 years ago. At that time plans had been drawn up for a bypass [but] the Government changed and the bypass plans were scrapped. Since then we have seen two more plans put forward. The last one was due to start in 2006. Each of these schemes have involved surveys, geological testing and public consultations at the cost of goodness knows how much. The Government itself says ‘the bypass will improve the environmental quality, especially with reference to noise and air quality within the village of Rillington, particularly during the busy summer holiday period. This bypass will also deliver significant benefits to road safety, with a reduced risk of accidents within the village’”.

Meeting

The Rillington Bypass Group will meet 21/10/09 at Rillington Village Hall.

Narrow Escape...

Both the Malton & Pickering Mercury and the Gazette & Herald feature cover stories with Sally Roger, head of the Rillington Bypass Group (RBG), concerning her and her children’s narrow escape from severe injury on the day of the serious car crash in August:

Mrs Roger and her two children “were walking to the garage to collect their car when a truck jack-knifed and collided with a car… at the spot where the Rogers would normally be walking on that route. It was only the fact that the children had been to an activity session on the same side of the road as the garage that they weren’t on the crossing when the accident happened”.

The Gazette & Herald article quotes RBG founder Beatrice Robinson on the statistics she has found out about the traffic in the village: “She said that in 1999, official figures showed that 13,500 vehicles a day went through Rillington with as many as 20,000 in the summer months… the latest figures, produced in 2007, show there are 15,300 a day.”

In addition to this, Ryedale’s Sherburn Ward councillor John Raper is quoted saying “Rillington is the only conurbation on a major road leading to a top seaside resort nationally that has not been bypassed”.

Second Crash on A64

On Wednesday 9th September, a hearse collided head-on with a lorry at Swanbeck Bridge, near West Knapton – just on the outskirts of Rillington village. As reported in The Press, the driver of the hearse and his passenger “had to freed from the wreckage by fire fighters [who had to cut off the roof of their vehicle] before being taken to hospital with serious hip and leg injuries.” The lorry was “completely written off”.

The accident was reported in the September 16th Edition of the Malton & Pickering Mercury, describing the incident and connecting it with the accident in Rillington only weeks earlier: long-time bypass campaigner Colin Wicks was quoted, saying “sadly this reinforces my view that it is badly needed. It is awful for those involved but something must be done”.