£2.3 million road safety scheme near Maltby "will make road more dangerous"

The metal barriers installed beside the A634 outside Maltby could endanger the safety or bikers and other road users, said the protesters.

Experienced biker Ian Churchlow, of Stone village, led the protests, saying the makeover of Blyth Road had been more of a “botched celebrity facelift”.

Mr Churchlow said it was clear Rotherham and Nottinghamshire Councils’ main intention by bringing in the metal barriers was to cut the overall number collisions but this was at the expense of bikers, who he said would be more likely to be seriously injured if they hit the new crash barrier supports.

Mr Churchlow added: “It’s a country lane that now looks like a motorway.”

Fellow Stone resident Peter Blyth said he objected both to the cost and also to what he saw as increased danger for road users: “I’ve lived here for 60 years and as far as I know there’s only been one death. Tickhill Road (the other main road eastwards from Maltby) has seen more.

“They’ve spent money on widening the road, supposedly to reduce speeds, only to narrow it again.

“It’s a waste of money.

“Previously, people would have gone into fields and bushes and that wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Neighbour Helen Taylor said the barriers, which were installed late last year, had spoiled what used to be “a lovely pleasant drive” and was unhappy at not having been notified of the changes.

“They’re spending our money on barriers we don’t want,” she said. “They could have at least notified us and had a bit of civility.”

Mr Churchlow’s wife, Annette, noted that Tickhill Road, which counts as part of Doncaster, had not been fitted with new barriers.

She said of the Blyth Road scheme: “It’s not based on past accident numbers but on software which they have used to predict there will be 25 serious accidents in the next 20 years. 

“They’re not interested in how many accidents there have been but they have the money and want to spend it.”

Mr Churchlow, a director of the 65,000-member national Motorcycle Action Group, also took issue with the new hatched areas painted in the centre of the road on the A634 Maltby Crags. which he said may leave drivers from both directions believing they have priority.

The council’s acting assistant director for planning, regeneration and transport, Bronwen Knight, defended the changes, pointing out Blyth Road had been chosen for the Government-funded scheme because it had has one of the lowest ratings in the country in terms of road safety. 

As well as barriers and the Maltby Crags hatching, it includes a 50mph speed limit, road widening and enhanced road markings .

Central carriageway hatchings acted as an effective warning to drivers to proceed with caution and were shown to reduce speed, improve traffic flow, and reduce accidents, she added.