MP claims A68 Toft Hill bypass is back on county council's agenda

A BYPASS for a village troubled by lorries and heavy traffic is now back on the agenda, says the area’s MP who has launched a campaign.

Helen Goodman says a proposal to build a bypass for Toft Hill has been added to the list of possible highway improvement schemes and will be considered as part of the creation of the County Durham Plan, which will shape housing, infrastructure and economic policy in the next 20 years.

She has launched a petition calling for Durham County Council to build it as soon as possible and to gather evidence of the strength of feeling. In a letter to Ms Goodman, the county council said the proposal would be considered “where it can be demonstrated there is a benefit from the scheme in terms of addressing congestion or highway safety and there is a realistic means of the scheme being funded”.

Ms Goodman said: “I was really pleased that our campaign to get the bypass back into the County Plan has been successful.

“The battle must go on, however, as the inclusion of the bypass proposal into the County Plan is only the first stage of the process. This is why the petition is important as it shows how strongly Toft Hill residents feel about the sheer volume of traffic thundering through their community every day.

“It is not just about road safety and congestion, which of course is paramount, but also the quality of life of those living near the A68 through traffic noise and air pollution.”

The MP says she has been working closely with Toft Hill resident Alex Wright who suffered the traffic problems first hand when a van ploughed into her house, causing substantial damage to the property. Within ten minutes of launching the petition, Ms Goodman and her team say they collected more than 60 signatures from worried parents of Toft Hill Primary School, which is next to the busy A68.

The call for a bypass follows several serious traffic accidents on the road, including a collision which saw a driver of a trap and pony seriously injured. The 42-year-old had to be air-lifted to the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. Ms Goodman contacted Ian Thompson, director at Durham County Council as well as John Reid, head of technical service at the council, asking for speed cameras and 20-mile an hour enforcement around the Toft Hill Primary school.

She also wrote to the Chris Grayling, secretary of state for transport, to consider the request for a bypass.

The parliamentary under secretary of state for transport, Jessie Norman, has been asked to meet with her to discuss the traffic problems on the road. Stuart Timmiss, Durham County Council’s head of planning and assets, said: “We are working towards bringing a local plan forward as soon as possible following recent government consultations and announcements. As part of this process we will be looking at infrastructure requirements including new roads. These must either address congestion or highway safety and there must also be a realistic means of the scheme being funded.”

The online petition can be found at http://bit.ly/2xVUy

VD