'We've been fighting for 35 years to make this road safer'

A 35-year-battle to improve safety on a road through a former mining community has ended up in Downing Street.

Shirley Carruthers, 77, has hand-delivered a petition to the Prime Minister to campaign for work on Blyth Road in Maltby, near Rotherham.

She has support from Rother Valley MP, Jake Richards, and 958 of his constituents, who have raised concerns about the number of collisions, fatalities and serious injuries on the stretch.

Carruthers has asked the government to consider traffic calming measures, better signage and pedestrian crossings.

In September, a 28-year-old woman died after being hit by a van on the 30mph road, and Carruthers said one of her friends had tried to resuscitate her at the scene.

In July 2024 a woman, also 28, was seriously injured in a hit and run nearby and South Yorkshire Police put out an appeal to trace the driver.

"It's heartbreaking, she was killed where it says it's a public footpath near the cenotaph and they've got the speed limit at 30mph - but they don't do it," she said.

During her time raising awareness of dangerous driving on the stretch, Carruthers said she has been involved in a collision herself, performed first aid on children who had been struck by vehicles while crossing the road, and had two friends killed in crashes back in the 1980s and 1990s.

"I wouldn't get emotional in normal circumstances, but it's like a television screen in front of my face, every day I look out my window and it's there."

She claimed that Maltby residents have been told by Rotherham Council that funding is not available to alter the road.

"What price can you put on a life, on an injury, on a disability?" she said.

"It's just another road to them, but this is our road, we live on here and our residents want something done about it."

Richards said: "This stretch of road heading out or into Maltby is well-known across the community as being really dangerous because cars speed up as they're going into the countryside - but there's still a big residential area.

"You have children playing on the green area just by the football club, right by this main road where cars are regularly well above the speed limit.

"Shirley has been raising these concerns for decades, and she should not have had to fight this hard just to be heard - residents deserve to feel safe on their own streets.

"Taking this petition to Downing Street is about making sure these long-standing concerns are taken seriously and acted on."

Government figures show there were five collisions on the 30mph section of Blyth Road running through Maltby between 2020 and 2024.

One involved slight injuries to a 38-year-old man who was a passenger in a van. A second saw a 16-year-old motorcyclist suffer serious injuries. A third crash was a 13-year-old girl who was hit by a car, sustaining slight injuries.

A fourth collision involved slight injuries to a 27-year-old man who was a passenger in a car. A 47-year-old male motorcyclist suffered slight injuries in a fifth incident.

Andrew Bramidge, executive director of regeneration and environment at Rotherham Council, said the council was "working closely" with South Yorkshire Police as they continue their investigation into the circumstances of the recent fatality on the road.

"Until that investigation has concluded and the coroner's report is released, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the incident," he said.

“However, Rotherham Council takes road safety extremely seriously and delivers improvements in line with our statutory responsibilities, the available evidence and the concerns raised by our residents and communities.

“The council routinely reviews all reported road traffic collisions to determine whether further assessment or interventions are required.

"Once the police investigation has concluded and the coroner’s findings are published, we will review this location and consider any appropriate next steps.”

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