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Sheppey crossing safety calls after 130-vehicle crash Sheppey crossing safety calls after 130-vehicle crash
(about 1 hour later)
There have been calls for speed restrictions and overhead lighting on a bridge in Kent where 130 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes in fog.There have been calls for speed restrictions and overhead lighting on a bridge in Kent where 130 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes in fog.
Eight people were seriously injured and a further 35 needed hospital treatment following the pile-up on the Sheppey crossing on Thursday. Eight people were left badly injured and 35 needed hospital treatment after the pile-up on the Sheppey crossing.
David Bizley from the RAC said it was a "miracle that nobody was killed". The AA has called for matrix warning signs "as a minimum".
Edmund King from the AA said he wanted to see matrix warning signs installed on the bridge "as a minimum". The Highways Agency said the bridge met standards when it was designed, but it would await the police investigation and then consider safety measures.
The A249 bridge was closed for nine hours while the wreckage was cleared. It partially reopened at 17:30 BST. On Thursday, the A249 bridge, which has a 70mph speed limit, was closed for nine hours while the wreckage was cleared. It partially reopened at 17:30 BST.
Some reports said the series of crashes went on for 10 minutes.
Those involved in the collisions described a mass of tangled cars, lorries and vans.Those involved in the collisions described a mass of tangled cars, lorries and vans.
Mr King from the AA said: "As a minimum we would like to see matrix warning signs either side of the bridge, so if there is severe weather it can advise that people should slow down. Fog 'was factor'
Edmund King from the AA said: "As a minimum we would like to see matrix warning signs either side of the bridge, so if there is severe weather it can advise that people should slow down.
"There's a good case here for reducing the speed, particularly when there's bad weather.""There's a good case here for reducing the speed, particularly when there's bad weather."
'Damp road' Both the RAC and Kent Police have said it was a "miracle" that no-one died.
Councillor Ken Pugh, from Swale Borough Council, said he had been campaigning for lighting and speed restrictions since the bridge was opened in 2006. David Bizley from the RAC said: "There was fog and the road was damp and we have had a prolonged period of hot weather so the road was greasy," he said.
"If the bridge had been lit properly and speed signs had come up, perhaps the tragedy would not have happened," he said.
Mr Bizley said: "There was fog and the road was damp and we have had a prolonged period of hot weather so the road was greasy.
"There are pockets where someone has been driving too fast and too close and that causes an accident.""There are pockets where someone has been driving too fast and too close and that causes an accident."
He said improvements in car design had helped protect the vehicles' occupants. Ch Insp Andy Reeves said the investigation had begun but it would a long process.
"In the 1970s 8,000 people were killed on the roads each year. Last year it was 1,700," he said. "Fog was certainly a factor," he said. "I understand the visibility was very poor at the time."
The £100m four-lane crossing connects the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent. He said: "Clearly, that will be a major factor in the investigation, but beyond that obviously we will be looking at any of the other contributory factors around why these vehicles came together and why some stopped and some didn't."
It is three-quarters of a mile (1.25km) long and rises to 115ft (35m) at its highest point. Ch Insp Reeves said investigators would make recommendations but it would be for the Highways Agency to determine if any further measures were needed.
In 2006 the then Chief Constable of Kent, Mike Fuller, said there were "significant concerns" over the safety of the bridge. 'Queue detection'
They included there being no emergency telephones, lighting, or hard shoulder. John Griffiths, Highways Agency South East director, said: "We will take the findings from Kent Police's investigation and we will help with them accordingly.
Mr Fuller also called for a speed limit reduction on the bridge - it is currently the national limit of 70mph. "We will have to think how best we can assist that and get our technical experts to consider what are the safety measures we can put in place."
He said his personal view was that a 50mph speed limit would have helped in this case, but he stressed that was a personal opinion.
Mr Griffiths said lighting was not seen as necessary when the bridge was designed, speed sign systems were used on motorways but not usually on dual carriageways, and a queue detection system that would warn drivers to slow down could be considered but installing it would be difficult.
"We will put forward proposals and we will look at how best to prioritise what we can get best safety benefit from," he said.
The £100m four-lane dual carriageway crossing, which connects the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent, opened in 2006.
That year, safety fears were raised by the then Chief Constable of Kent, Mike Fuller, who raised concerns about there being no emergency telephones, lighting, or hard shoulder and called for a speed limit reduction.
Councillor Ken Pugh, from Swale Borough Council, said he had campaigned for lighting and speed restrictions since the bridge opened.
"If the bridge had been lit properly and speed signs had come up, perhaps the tragedy would not have happened," he said.
The crossing is three-quarters of a mile (1.25km) long and rises to 115ft (35m) at its highest point.