An aerial view of the B4100 road from Aynho (top middle) to Souldern (bottom middle). The accident black spot (indicated by the red arrow) is on the bridge over the river. The road dips down here into the river valley, then rises up on the other side, whilst also following quite a steep bend. The road is surrounded by trees on both sides.
Appeal for action on a notorious country road
THE PARENTS and teacher of a teenage boy who was killed on a notorious country
road have appealed to Northamptonshire County Council to take action before
someone else dies.
Tomas Ryan-Vig, aged 13, died when the school bus on which he was travelling
home collided with a tractor on the B4100 road near Aynho in May this year.
A total of 10 accidents have already happened on the same stretch of road in
the last four years in which four people were killed or seriously injured.
One fatal accident happened just two weeks ago when a woman died in a three-car
pile-up.
Nils and Helen, Tomas' parents, and David Dawson, the headteacher of Blessed
George Napier School where he was a pupil, this week met with the council's
Casualty Reduction Partnership as part of a campaign to have warning signs
put in place at the site.
But Mr Dawson said he was left frustrated when he discovered the council could
not afford to introduce the measures in the current financial year.
He said: "We are considering trying to raise some funds ourselves in the
hope that it will become a priority."
At the time of the crash in May a total of 37 children on the convoy of two
coaches were injured.
Mr Dawson said some of the children still travel on the same route home from
school including Selena, Tomas' 11-year-old sister.
Many were still receiving counselling and physiotherapy.
Mrs Ryan, from Bicester, said: "They agree they will do something next
year and we are looking at road signings and markings. "
Unfortunately we're looking at the next financial year which is a shame but
I guess we're only five months away from that." A spokeswoman from the council said: "The
roads in Northamptonshire are monitored carefully for their accident record
and casualty reduction work has
to be prioritised to achieve the best overall results for the county.
" This is done through a red route classifications scheme and roads which
have four or more killed or seriously injured in collisions in three years within
a one kilometre stretch."
The road is currently flashing amber and to be classified as a red route one
more person would need to be killed or die on the road.
anna.brosnan@northantsnews.co.uk
26 November 2004