I welcome the swift action that Highways England has taken to close the gap in the central reservation on the A19 which led to the death of an 83 year old pensioner from Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk. My colleague, Rishi Sunak MP for Richmond (whose constituency includes that part of the A19) and I urged Highways England to close the gap just south of the Cleveland Tontine, near Osmotherley, where the accident happened. The inquest into Sonia Rose’s death heard that she died when a van travelling south crossed through the Stony Lane gap in the central reservation of the dual carriageway and hit her car travelling north head-on. Highways England has promised to close this gap by March next year, subject to consultation with users of the gap, and work with English Heritage, owners of Mount Grace Priory, to fund junction improvements and closure of another gap there. After the accident, I met members of her family to discuss the tragedy and was pleased to support their campaign. While closure of the gap comes too late for Mrs Rose, it will mean a safer road in the future.
