A North Yorkshire driver tells MIKE LAYCOCK of the dangerous situations she has seen at the A64 blackspot at Bilbrough Top.

A DRIVER who lives near Bilbrough Top told of the motoring madness she has witnessed at the A64 accident blackspot.

Dawn Wilkinson said she had seen vehicles parking on a slip road at the side of the dual carriageway before going in to use facilities at the Bilbrough Top service complex, situated between York and Tadcaster.

"A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed a bus which had parked on the slip road whilst a trail of children headed into the McDonalds restaurant," she said.

"Some of the traffic coming out of the complex are pulling straight on to the A64 and causing traffic heading west to swerve at short - or even no - notice.

"Some other traffic coming out of the complex does not appear to realise that there is a slip road for traffic turning into Colton Lane. Again this is causing dangerous situations involving traffic on the carriageway, which cannot enter the slip road and has to slow down in the A64 carriageway."

Dawn, from nearby Colton, was writing in support of the Evening Press campaign for a flyover to be built at Bilbrough, allowing a gap in the central reservation to be closed. Roads Minister David Jamieson will decide this autumn whether or not the construction project should go ahead, despite soaring costs.

Dawn said the road through Colton was being used as a rat-run for traffic which wanted to go to York, but did not want to cross the A64.

"This is a problem, because the back roads are not wide enough, or maintained sufficiently to carry the volume of traffic," she said.

"The speed at which traffic goes through the village of Colton is sometimes far in excess of the 30 miles-an-hour limit, and the signage in the village is inadequate. There should at least be large mph signs, signs painted on the road, rumble strips and slow down signs. It is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident in the village."

Dawn said the Bilbrough Top complex should never have been permitted without alternative arrangements for access into and out of the site.

"Surely someone must have got their sums wrong to have allowed such a volume of traffic to cross this busy dual carriageway and cost so many lives over recent years."

The Evening Press is urging readers to write with their views on the urgent need for the flyover. All letters will be passed to the minister before he makes the decision. Please email as soon as possible to: mike.laycock@ycp.co.uk, or write to: Mike Laycock, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York Y01 9YN.

Updated: 08:53 Tuesday, September 09, 2003