Gloucestershire Echo - May 30th 2012
A PARISH council chairman complained to Gloucestershire Highways about a road's safety three times in the four days before a fatal collision.
Teacher Julie Stodart-Cook, 43, from Chipping Norton, died after her yellow Vauxhall Corsa left the B4077 and smashed into cars parked on the Alderton Garage forecourt on Saturday.
Teenager Mike Lewicki remains in a coma in intensive care following the collision at the garage where he worked.
Keith Page, 56, chairman of Alderton parish council, had fears about the state of the road after witnessing two other collisions in the four days before the teacher died.
The newly-surfaced road disintegrated in the hot weather before loose grit and dust were laid down to make it safer.
Mr Page, who has lived opposite the garage for more than 30 years, emailed Gloucestershire Highways with his concerns three times.
He said: "I know it was hot, but it was not record-breaking temperatures. I feel like my concerns were dismissed as being from a whingeing parish councillor.
"Questions do need to be answered. We need to know whether the road is safe. If not, what is being done with it.
"It is frustrating because the parish council has been asking for something to be done with that stretch of the road for 15 years.
"It seems the rule book has always been put before the reality and it is always treated as a B classified country road, but the reality is there is a lot of motorway traffic there and two big turnings."
Mr Page said a motorcycle crashed on Wednesday evening and a sports car had come off the road on Thursday.
A source close to the family of 15-year-old Mike Lewicki said he remained heavily sedated in intensive care.
"He had an operation on the collapsed lung and is recovering, but he's not in a good way," said the source.
"They are thinking of waking him tomorrow and bringing him out of the heavy drugs that he is on."
Garage owner Mark Greening said it could be up to six weeks before the pumps were working again.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Highways said: "We have received emails from Alderton parish council regarding the road.
"We responded to each of these emails and action was taken on each occasion, which resulted in additional signs being put on the site to warn drivers."
A PARISH council chairman complained to Gloucestershire Highways about a road's safety three times in the four days before a fatal collision.
Teacher Julie Stodart-Cook, 43, from Chipping Norton, died after her yellow Vauxhall Corsa left the B4077 and smashed into cars parked on the Alderton Garage forecourt on Saturday.
Teenager Mike Lewicki remains in a coma in intensive care following the collision at the garage where he worked.
Keith Page, 56, chairman of Alderton parish council, had fears about the state of the road after witnessing two other collisions in the four days before the teacher died.
The newly-surfaced road disintegrated in the hot weather before loose grit and dust were laid down to make it safer.
Mr Page, who has lived opposite the garage for more than 30 years, emailed Gloucestershire Highways with his concerns three times.
He said: "I know it was hot, but it was not record-breaking temperatures. I feel like my concerns were dismissed as being from a whingeing parish councillor.
"Questions do need to be answered. We need to know whether the road is safe. If not, what is being done with it.
"It is frustrating because the parish council has been asking for something to be done with that stretch of the road for 15 years.
"It seems the rule book has always been put before the reality and it is always treated as a B classified country road, but the reality is there is a lot of motorway traffic there and two big turnings."
Mr Page said a motorcycle crashed on Wednesday evening and a sports car had come off the road on Thursday.
A source close to the family of 15-year-old Mike Lewicki said he remained heavily sedated in intensive care.
"He had an operation on the collapsed lung and is recovering, but he's not in a good way," said the source.
"They are thinking of waking him tomorrow and bringing him out of the heavy drugs that he is on."
Garage owner Mark Greening said it could be up to six weeks before the pumps were working again.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Highways said: "We have received emails from Alderton parish council regarding the road.
"We responded to each of these emails and action was taken on each occasion, which resulted in additional signs being put on the site to warn drivers."