Councillor demands 'urgent review' after second Hull City player crash
An East Riding councillor has called for an urgent review of road safety in Cottingham after a second Hull City player flipped their car on a narrow road in the village on Thursday (Oct 1).
The Tigers’ Lucas Gourna-Douath is understood to have dramatically crashed his Mercedes vehicle, in an echo of a very similar incident involving winger Sorba Thomas in September.
Both incidents occurring at the same location on the narrow East Yorkshire lane, raises huge concerns regarding the safety of this section of road for pedestrians and other road users, according to one local councillor.
Coun Phillip Redshaw acted immediately after the second crash, and has written to East Riding of Yorkshire Council with a strongly-worded letter demanding urgent attention to the road.
He believes the two incidents have alarmed local residents and left them fearing for their safety as they go about their daily business in a location so close to Hull City’s training ground.
“I request that the traffic management team undertake an urgent safety review of this section of Millhouse Woods Lane, seek to identify the likely cause and ask what immediate measures can be implemented to reduce the risk of a further incident,” Coun Redshaw’s letter states.
Millhouse Woods Lane is a narrow street that leads to the club’s training ground, with little room for cars to get through. Warnings have been issued in the past regarding the speed some vehicles have been going while travelling down the narrow stretch of road.
More needs to be done to keep residents safe
However, these general warnings are not enough and are not changing people’s driving styles, Coun Redshaw has said. The campaigning councillor has also shared his worries that the road traffic incidents are occurring so close to a local school.
“Thankfully, no one was injured in either accident,” his letter to the council states. “However, the potential consequences could have been considerably more serious.
"On both occasions, the incidents occurred at times when the lane is used by pedestrians. On this morning’s occasion, parents and children were using the footpath just five minutes earlier on their way to school.”
Coun Redshaw is demanding urgent progress on road safety in the area as a matter of priority: “I appreciate that this is not an easy issue to resolve but would be grateful for the soonest advice as to what action can be considered and the anticipated timescale for completing the review.
"Given that two similar incidents have now occurred at the same location within a relatively short period, I ask that this matter be treated as an urgent road-safety concern.”
Millhouse Woods Lane road leads to the Premier League club’s Cottingham training facility. Both Sorba Thomas and Lucas Gourna-Douath are believed to have walked away from each incident completely unharmed. Humberside Police have confirmed they were called to both incidents.
A Hull City spokesperson said the club was “aware of images circulating on social media following a road traffic accident near the training ground and can confirm that no one was harmed in the incident”.
Facebook users have shared their shock at two separate incidents happening so close to each other. One comment said: “The problem is not the road, it’s the poor standard of driving. There are a lot of new footballers there now and they are not used to driving up and down a very restricted road with elderly people, children and animals, especially cats, using this road”.
Motorists urged to ‘travel at a speed suitable for the conditions’
A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council explained the authority was monitoring the stretch of road and said it would review any information about safety or narrow misses.
He said: “We are aware of the recent road traffic incidents on Millhouse Woods Lane, Cottingham, and understand the concerns these have generated locally.
“Millhouse Woods Lane is a relatively narrow rural road, but it is of sufficient width to accommodate traffic safely when vehicles are driven in a manner appropriate to the road conditions and environment. As with all roads, motorists are expected to travel at a speed suitable for the conditions and position their vehicles appropriately.”
According to the council spokesperson there are no specific issues with the road that could be leading to so many accidents for Hull City footballers, adding it was important to drive down there with some caution due to its narrow nature and proximity to schools and houses.
“We are not currently aware of any highway maintenance defects or road condition issues at this location that would prevent road users from travelling along the route safely when exercising due care and attention,” he said.
“The council will continue to monitor the location and will consider any information provided by the police or other relevant parties as part of its ongoing review of the highway network.”