AN ELECTRONIC petition will be sent to the Government calling for the upgrading of the A1079 between York and Hull.

The document, launched by MPs representing the East Riding of Yorkshire, demands a formal response on a range of safety improvements.

Greg Knight, MP for East Yorkshire, and Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, have long called for the Government to take into account the safety and economic issues of failing to improve the road.

In the months since the petition was put online, it has attracted 360 signatures, all calling for a better A1079.

One signatory, Michele Helm, who works in York, has posted: "The delays on the A1079 mean that a 13- mile journey to work can sometimes take over an hour, and rarely less than 50 minutes. Something needs to be done."

Another, Paul Whitworth, said: "The A1079 is a major route into York and the only route signposted to the North when leaving Hull docks. It is a major queuing area during the rush hour and there are many accidents.

"I sometimes have to cross the A1079 from one side of the road to another with a bus load of school kids and it worries me every time.

"This road should be dual carriageway all the way from Hull docks to the York bypass, with sensible junctions at each village."

Phil Young said: "The traffic has steadily become unbearable over the last few years.

"The 20-mile journey from Market Weighton to the A64 regularly takes over an hour. Frequent crashes and inconsiderate farm vehicles just add to the congestion."

The MPs previously said they would present the petition once they had collected more than 300 signatures.

Last month, The Press reported how campaigners blamed the "North/South divide" for a "futile waste of public money" on London roads, while the A1079 remained dangerous.

The Action Access A1079 group is calling for the road to be "dualled" along its length, combined with better junctions at key market towns like Pocklington and Market Weighton.

The petition can still be signed online at www.

ipetitions.com/petition/a1079