Road safety fears at Rock Park

By awilshaw

A BARNSTAPLE mother is calling for extra safety measures on a road next to Rock Park after her son was knocked off his bicycle.

Rebecca Draper's 11-year-old son, Luke, was riding his BMX bike along the section of Ladies Mile next to the popular park when he was hit by a motorist.

Mrs Draper, 36, from Newport, said Luke was flung on to the car's windscreen, shattering it, and then rolled on to the ground during the collision on Tuesday, April` 28.

Luke, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to North Devon District Hospital but he had escaped with severe bruising.

Mrs Draper said: "He was where the old toilet block used to be, with a friend, when he was hit by a car.

"He is very bruised but he was very lucky; he was wearing his helmet. We spent two hours in casualty."

The police were called and the motorist was interviewed, but the driver claimed Luke had pulled out in front of him from nowhere. There were no arrests.

Since the new skate park opened, young motorists have increasingly been using the road.

Mrs Draper said she wanted to see "sleeping policemen" and a reduced speed limit of about 10mph next to the park, which is extremely popular with children of all ages, and dog walkers.

Local district councillor John Mathews said concerns about Ladies Mile had been reported to his authority as well as Devon County Council, the highways authority, and Barnstaple Town Council.

He supported Mrs Draper's calls for the speed limit to be reduced and said a meeting of the Rock Park sub-committee will be called some time this week to discuss the issue. "The park is a victim of its own success," he added, referring to the increased traffic.

PC Nick Porter, the local road casualty reduction officer, said he too will meet with the highways authority to discuss the concerns, although he was not aware of any particular history of collisions on the stretch of road where Luke was knocked off his bicycle.

He added: "We will certainly review it. The county can't throw money on traffic calming measures every time there is a collision; it has to be structured and evidence-led. It was hopefully an isolated incident."

Mike Newcombe, road safety officer for the county council, said he was unaware of any history of inappropriate or excessive speeding in Ladies Mile but the situation was under review. He also praised Mrs Draper for encouraging her son to wear a helmet.