Local MP aims to solve issues at accident blackspot

On Saturday morning, a red Volkswagen Golf and a black Jeep Avenger collided at the Treeton Lane/Ulley Lane-Pleasley Road junction in Aughton.

There had been at least seven collisions in recent years, with five people being hurt.

Jake Richards MP for Rother Valley says he is across the issue.

He told the Advertiser: "I’ve met with Rotherham Council and local councillors to discuss the ongoing safety concerns at the Treeton crossroads, and we all recognise that this is a serious issue of great importance to residents.

"It’s clear that people are frustrated by the lack of progress, particularly given the number of incidents that have taken place at this junction over recent years.

"I share those concerns. That’s why I’ve asked the council to bring together a roundtable of local stakeholders, including parish representatives and residents, so we can look again at what practical steps can be taken to improve safety.

"While funding decisions ultimately sit with the local authority, I’ll continue to push for this junction to be properly prioritised and for every potential avenue for improvement to be explored.”

The council had laid out a range of options, including traffic lights and a roundabout, as well as speed restrictions on the approach to the junction, said Mr Richards.

But they say there is no funding available for any improvements at the junction described by one driver as "the chicken run."

The MP says his focus is on pushing for the junction to be prioritised for existing funding, as well as continuing to explore alternative funding pots that may be available to the local authority.

A 30-year-old woman has been arrested by police on suspicion of dangerous driving, and driving with excess alcohol. She has been bailed.

In April 2023, then MP Alex Stafford said that local residents were "very concerned, some even visibly upset and angry, about the road issues and how it is impacting their lives.

"Residents on Treeton Lane have told me that they have participated in meetings with ward councillors and council officers, and have been promised action would be taken to improve safety, access and the crossroads, but nothing has materialised apart from a speed activation sign (which has since been removed)" he said.

Development at Waverley had led to more traffic on Treeton Lane, he said, adding that speeding issues along the A618 "should be easier for the council to do something about."

He wrote to a top official at Rotherham Council, inquiring about their approach to addressing the problems.

In March 2021, a man in his 60s was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver of another vehicle, reported as a man in his 50s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

According to a technical transport assessment prepared as part of the draft Environmental Statement for the Whitestone Solar Farm project, the cluster of incidents "signifies a concentration of collisions with injury severity beyond the average for this type of rural‐priority junction”.