An 80-year-old man has died and a woman in her 70s remains in critical condition following a collision between a car and a transporter lorry on the A1 at Belford on Friday, July 24. The crash occurred on the southbound carriageway when a white Hyundai i30, joining from the B1342 junction, hit a car transporter lorry travelling south. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene; the female passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Renewed calls for dualling
The incident is the latest in a series of fatal crashes on the A1 this year, intensifying demands for the long-awaited dualling of the road. Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said the road cannot handle current traffic levels. "My heart goes out to the families of those involved. This is another reminder for us to concentrate our efforts and to not give up," he said.
Sanderson added: "I don't want all of this tragedy to be in vain. We can't be wringing our hands and still talking about this in five years time - it is unimaginable how the road will be then. It is another difficult junction. It is not an easy road to join, leave or be on because of the amount of traffic that is using the A1 now. It is just simply not sustainable. it is not suitable for the traffic today. You just have to go and stand and see the amount of traffic on the A1 - something has to be done."
Council invests in evidence
The council has confirmed it will spend more than £20,000 to gather evidence and data to support the case for dualling. A cross-party group of politicians, backed by business leaders and community groups, is urging ministers to reconsider the dualling project to improve safety.
Sanderson explained: "Although the council doesn't own or have responsibility for this road, I have now signed off a new piece of work for our highways team to revisit the evidence and data so we can show National Highways in the autumn why the business case for dualling is now compelling. I wrote to the transport secretary a few weeks ago and I was very pleased that the mayor co-signed the letter. The points made are now better understood by National Highways - clearly the safety record and that dangerous and frustrating mix of dual and single carriageway is our key argument. But it is also about the capacity of the road now. The congestion we see very regularly is because Northumberland is thriving. Our tourist numbers have doubled and we see new attractions and businesses every year.
"The snarl ups also lead to more traffic using the A697 which creates other serious problems. I asked Northumbria Police to deploy the camera van in Longhorsley and recently there were 25 incidents of speeding. It is a deterrent, but it doesn't reduce the amount of traffic using that road now. But this isn't just about data, it's about people's lives. On a personal level, I get a lot of letters and emails from people who have suffered as a result of the tragedies on the road. One, from a gentleman who was just seven when the car in which he was travelling was in an accident and his father died in that crash. As leader of the council I represent the interests of over 300,000 residents in the county and this is not what anyone wants to see. Also all political groups in the county council unanimously backed this campaign. That is why it must continue."
