The A254, which runs as the Margate Road and the Ramsgate Road between the two towns, has been named as the most “persistently highest risk road” in the country.
According to insurance firm Ageas, which has produced a dangerous roads map in partnership with the Road Safety Foundation, the stretch -which runs through Westwood – has worsened over the last three years with an average of seven fatal and serious crashes each year. A third of these involved a motorcyclist, almost half were at junctions, and almost as many involved pedestrians or cyclists.
The research shows the riskiest part of the road is between the junction with the A28 in Margate and the junction with the A255 at Ramsgate – heading into Chatham Street.
The report by Ageas says there have been 21 serious or fatal crashes on the stretch between 2014-2016- 33% involving motorbikes, 43% pedestrians and cyclists and 10% rear end shunts. Some 48% were at junctions.
On average, 73 people were killed or seriously injured every day on Britain’s roads last year.
Ageas says since 2011 there has been little improvement in reducing the number road deaths. If Britain had kept up with international targets, 2,549 deaths could have been avoided between 2010 and 2017.
Road crashes cost society £35bn each year – that’s more than is spent on primary education and GP services combined.
The government put in place £100 million in 2016 to upgrade 50 of England’s most dangerous local A-road sections, and the money is expected to prevent 1,450 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years. But road safety campaigners say more money is now needed.
Aeeas says: “A single investment of £75 million on these roads is urgently needed and would prevent an estimated 1,100 fatal and serious injuries over the next two decades. That would then need to be followed by £75 million each year for the following five years.”
Click here for the Dangerous Roads Map
Its not the roads it is the drivers,and in Thanet we have a lot of drivers who fail to observe the highway code especially signaling.
The traffic going around Westwood/Westwood Rd could be reduced if a road was made across from BQ over to Dane valley
Yes l agree with the way that 75% of driver’s do not respect over road users as you say they do not signal and lights don’t seem to work, but we don’t n another road we need to make the one’s safer.
The section of Ramsgate Road that runs from Margate hospital to just beyond Enterprise Road Margate is the only section of the complete Maragte/Ramsgate Road that is 40mph, the rest being 30mph. There is colleges and school annexes down Enterprise Road and many kids coming and going at peak times of the day with no crossing facilities on the main Ramsgate Road at the traffic lights there. They are risking their lives every day running across the road from and to their buses. It wouldn’t cost a lot for KCC to make crossing there much safer by introducing a phase into the traffic light sequence to give pedestrians a chance to cross over safely but the authority is unwilling to cooperate without more accidents and injuries. I have been trying to change their minds for the past three years, unsuccessfully.
My brother was knocked off his motor bike back in 1982 and spent months in sea bathing hospital with broken leg and ribs and accidents still happening!
It will be even worse when the planned houses are built at Westwood. The whole of the road system is jammed every single day. That’s when tempers flare, drivers take risks resulting in accidents.
You are 100% right, the main roundabouts at Westwood should have traffic lights around them so everyone has a chance to get on the roundabouts safely. Junctions like argos burger King Canterbury Bell and pound land should be made to go to the roundabouts but no you get the one’s that think they can pull across the road and go right
Have demanded action from kcc but told it was not a problem!! Will keep trying
I always get the same reply from KCC “we have no plans to do anything along that road” or “ we have had no reports from the police about speeding or recent accidents” or “if you are worried about vehicles speeding or driving over red lights you should tell the police” KCC are less than useless. They just fob callers off.