‘Taking lives in their hands’

A mum who says families take their lives in their hands when they cross a busy Sunderland road is calling for safety improvements.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Jun 2019, 11:59 GMT
Updated 11th Jun 2019, 19:15 GMT
There are calls to slash the speed limit on a section of the A690 in SunderlandThere are calls to slash the speed limit on a section of the A690 in Sunderland
There are calls to slash the speed limit on a section of the A690 in Sunderland

Susan Bennett has now launched two petitions demanding Sunderland City Council takes steps to make crossing Durham Road, near East Herrington and Middle Herrington, easier.

The first is calling for the speed limit to be slashed from 40 mph to 30 mph and the second is a request for dedicated pedestrian crossing points to be installed.

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“The community is split by Durham Road,” she said, “for anyone to get around, crossing at the Board Inn pub is a busy area but it’s still a 40 mph zone, not 30, even though it’s a built-up area.

There are calls to slash the speed limit on a section of the A690 in SunderlandThere are calls to slash the speed limit on a section of the A690 in Sunderland
There are calls to slash the speed limit on a section of the A690 in Sunderland

“You take your life in your hands when you step out and it’s getting busier and busier.

“The council says it’s got all this money to improve the roads, but it’s for people who are driving, not walking.”

The mother-of-two, whose children both attend East Herrington Primary Academy, describes her requests as ‘perfectly reasonable’.

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She added she was inspired to launch the petitions, which specifically target the stretch of the A690 near the Board Inn pub and West Park, following accidents nearby.

In September emergency services were called following a collision between a car and a child riding a bike.

West Park, which is bounded on its east side by Durham Road, is popular with families and is where England and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson once honed his footballing skills as a youngster.

Responding to the petition, Coun Amy Wilson, the city council’s cabinet member for Environment and Transport, said: “The City Council monitors road safety across the city.

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“Whenever it receives petitions requesting changes to speed limits and to look again at pedestrian safety, that’s exactly what it does.

“If the council receives a petition about Durham Road in East Herrington, it would look again closely at this location’s safety record and actual traffic speeds.

“The council would also remind all highways users to drive with due care and attention, adapt their driving to the conditions and do not treat speed limits as a target.”

Anyone wishing to sign the petitions can visit https://www.change.org/p/sunderland-city-council-safe-roads-for-herrington-efa22b75-824d-45ce-9e2c-e05dabe59102?recruiter=65602549&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&recruited_by_id=b8b86fe0-f539-49c0-a462-38b675fd2e77&utm_content=fht-15482460-en-gb%3Av2 and https://www.change.org/p/sunderland-city-council-safe-roads-for-herrington?recruiter=65602549&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&recruited_by_id=b8b86fe0-f539-49c0-a462-38b675fd2e77&utm_content=fht-15482395-en-gb%3Av5

Local Democracy Reporting Service