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28
Mar
Death crash bus stop relocated on A61 at Killinghall
North Yorkshire Council has taken steps to improve road safety on the A61 near Killinghall — but said it has no plans to reduce the speed limit.
Six new street lights have been installed on the road and the bus stops near Knox Mill Lane have been moved.
The southbound stop has been removed altogether and the northbound one has been relocated closer to Grainbeck Lane. It will come into use today (March 28).
The changes were implemented after the death of 90-year-old Lucjan Wilk, who was hit by a car while crossing the road in November 2023. An inquest into Mr Wilk's death concluded on Monday (March 24).
The council has also installed a larger warning sign on the road, the inquest heard.
Mr Wilk’s daughter, Paulina, called for the road to be made safer by reducing the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.
Paulina described the road as “horrendous” and said she felt the changes were only being made due to her father’s death.
The Stray Ferret put her concerns to the council.
Councillor Keane Duncan, the executive member for highways and transportation, told the Stray Ferret:
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim of this tragic incident.
We have conducted a detailed inspection of this location and identified a series of road safety improvements here, including lighting Knox Mill Lane junction and upgrading the road signs.
We are in the process of making changes to the bus stops and are moving the northbound bus stop, which will be lit. This will be in operation by this Friday (March 28). The southbound bus stop will be removed, and passengers should use the Warren Lodge bus stop from Friday.
These significant improvements will help to reduce the risk of future collisions.
Work on the A61 between Killinghall and Harrogate (March 24).
Cllr Duncan also said highways officers have “looked seriously” at reducing the speed limit but this is unlikely to change anytime soon. He added:
Because this stretch of the A61 is rural, with open countryside on either side and little development, our officers have concluded this location does not fit the criteria for reducing the speed limit to 30mph.
Previous fatalities
The authority last year approved plans to reduce the speed limit on the A61 following a string of fatalities at South Stainley.
Daria Bartienieva, 35, her son, six-year-old Ihor Bartieniev, and Daria’s 15-year-old stepdaughter, Anastasiia Bartienieva, were killed in a three-vehicle collision that involved a double-decker bus on September 3, 2023.
All three were from Ukraine and were living in Ripon at the time.
The crash was the second fatal collision on the road in the space of eight days.
On August 26, 2023, a 59-year-old was killed on the same stretch.
Three cars were involved in the collision, including a dark coloured Suzuki Bandit Motorcycle, a dark coloured Land Rover Discovery and a white Ford Transit Van.
The rider of the motorcycle died.
The incidents led to calls for change on the road, including a plea from a South Stainley woman whose parents were killed in a collision on the A61.
In October, the council approved plans to reduce the speed limit on the road between Ripon and Ripley from 60mph to 50mph. But this has yet to be implemented.
Conservative MP Sir Julian Smith urged the council to take further action to improve road safety on the A61. He asked council chief executive, Richard Flinton, to also consider removing the overtaking lane at South Stainley.
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