SAFETY measures are to be taken to slow down traffic on the A64 in Ryedale after a spate of fatal accidents.

And villagers are demanding action to tame the A1079 "killing road" at Barmby Moor, near Pocklington, after the tragic deaths of a grandmother and her four-year-old grandson.

A hundred residents packed a public meeting yesterday to call for better street lighting, traffic lights and a 40mph speed limit. They said the recent deaths of Peggy Johnson and her grandson William as they were crossing the road had had a devastating impact on the village.

In Ryedale work on the A64 between York and Scarborough has been ordered by the Highways Agency in the face of growing safety fears sparked by the deaths of five people in accidents in the past two months. Two of the dead were the Reverend Barry Williams, Vicar of Rillington, and his 17-year-old daughter, Stephanie.

The agency is planning to paint white lines to reduce drivers' speed and warn them of approaching junctions.

"Although we cannot say exactly where yet, in view of the recent fatalities, notorious accident hot-spots will be looked at closely, and the work would be carried out later in the year," said a spokesman.

The markings will be similar to those painted last summer, near Whitwell-on-the-Hill and Huttons Ambo.

No major work will be ordered for the A64 until after the Government has published a white paper on an integrated transport policy in the spring.

Ryedale MP John Greenway said the white lines plan would be better than nothing, and indicated the urgency of the need for action.

"Campaigners have waited a long time for something to be done, and in the meantime there have been some horrendous fatal accidents."

Rillington councillor Mary Wilkinson said white lines were not enough to stop speeding vehicles. "They drive through the village at 70mph - the only solution for us is a bypass."

At Barmby Moor an action committee has been set up, led by parish councillor Dennis Goforth, to press the Department of Transport and East Riding of Yorkshire Council to improve safety.

"The latest tragedy has had a devastating effect on Barmby - everyone knew Mrs Johnson and William and we are determined to get something done," he said. "Safety and lives must be given priority over cost."

He said the junction of Sutton Lane and Feoffe Common Lane, where the latest accident happened, was particularly dangerous.

Improvements had been made at the neighbouring villages of Kexby, Hayton and Dunnington with roundabouts and white-line markings.

East Riding of Yorkshire councillor Rowan Blake-James said: "Improvements on this stretch of road are desperately needed. The danger is appalling. It is a killing road."

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