ANGRY Valerie Bias says the A350 speed limit must be lowered from 60mph in a bid to save lives.


The 57-year-old says the limit on the Yarnbrook-to-Westbury stretch should go to 50mph or even 40mph.


She made the call as Heywood councillors considered a report on the issue at a parish council meeting. 
They were told by Cllr Suzanne Wickham, Wiltshire Council’s representative on the local Community Area Transport Group, that because the A350 is a major A road, nothing much could be done apart from making sure that signage is visible at junctions.


Mrs Bias says the A350 main road from Trowbridge to Westbury is a “death trap” with four fatalities there in the last 18 months.
She said: “I am angry because potentially the road is a death trap. 
“There have been four deaths on the road in the past few months, two at Yarnbrook and two close to the Blue Circle junction.


“There have been several incidents at the Heywood junction where cars turning have been walloped.
“You can hear the noise and vibration from traffic, particularly motorcycles accelerating out of the 40mph zone at Yarnbrook.”
Mrs Bias says emergency service vehicles increase the noise when they turn on their sirens approaching the blind bend near the Blue Circle junction at Coach 
Road. 


Mrs Bias wrote to Wiltshire councillor Jerry Wickham last year to voice her concerns, and the issue has since been taken up by his wife, Cllr Suzanne Wickham, who was elected to the Ethandune ward after her husband died.
Mrs Wickham reported that as the major A road is the responsibility of Highways England, the national speed limit cannot be lowered unless the government-owned agency agrees.
Cllr Wickham said: “I encouraged Valerie to complete a form to Heywood Parish Council to send to CATG, which Heywood Parish Council always agrees to do.
“Because the A350 is a major A road, the chances of getting any speed restriction would be very difficult.


“However, the senior traffic planner has agreed to check all the signage at all the junctions where traffic is coming out on to the A350 to make sure it it visible.”
Cllr Wickham said the checks would be made before the next CATG meeting in March.
Mrs Bias, of West Lodge, Heywood, says she will continue to press Wiltshire Council and Highways England to make improvements to the A350 in order to increase road safety.