Dear Anita,

Re: Regulation 28 – Fatality on Hornby Road, Liverpool

Further to your email dated 15 June 2020, and the enclosed Regulation 28 report, relating to the fatality on Hornby Road on 19 August 2019. Hornby Road is a classified road, bearing the reference A5098. It is the continuation of Aintree Road (A5098 - Sefton Borough Council) and links Southport Road (A5038) and Rice Lane (A59). The road itself is a dual carriageway, separated by a central reserve for the majority of its length. The central reserve is separated from the carriageway by a mix of standard half batted kerb faces (with varying degrees of upstand), as well as TRIEF/KASSEL type passive safety kerbs, which are designed to prevent or limit vehicle access to the footway areas. On the north east bound carriageway, there is a with flow cycle lane that runs the full length of the carriageway from Southport Road to where it meets a bus stop just prior to Noonan Close. At the initial site meeting, shortly after the collision occurred, the carriageway surface was observed to be in a good state of repair, which remains the same opinion following an observation from one of Highways Engineers last week. The road is subject to a series of street lighting columns, providing illumination to both the carriageway and footway. The posted speed limit is 30mph and as per Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions - there is no requirement to provide signs to this effect, save for when the speed limit changes. In this case, 30mph roundels are visible on adjacent side roads, which themselves are subject to a 20mph limit. The north east bound carriageway is also subject to double yellow lines for the material location. The section of highway is straight with limited left to right or up and down deviation.

Sightlines, exiting the prison car park are in excess of 150m at a distance of 2.4m from edge of carriageway. Engineers have reviewed the collision statistics along the full extent of Hornby Road, from Aintree Road to Rice Lane, and between 01/05/2010 and 30/04/2020 there have been 10 recorded injury collisions with 15 casualties (11 slight and 3 serious and 1 fatal). Of these, 4 collisions involved vehicles performing U-turns. 2 were at the gap in the central reservation at the main HMP Walton car park entrance to the west of Hornby Close (in 2010 and 2012), 1 was at the gap in the central reservation at Hornby Place (in 2018), and the other was the fatal collision at the gap in the central reservation at the service road leading to Walton train station in 2019. Based on the number of vehicles, which undertake these U-turn manoeuvres at the different gaps on a daily basis, the number of collisions that have occurred is relatively low. Any proposal to close the gaps would need to have sound justification and would also be subject to consultation with stakeholders and the local community and is likely to lead to objections based on the loss of amenity and long diversion routes that road-users would need to embark on to access or exit their properties. There is also a high likelihood that road-users may simply drive over the central reservation, as has been observed by officers of the city council and Merseyside Police, which would bring about road safety concerns in its own right. In view of this, the city council does not consider that there is adequate justification to consider closing these gaps at the present time. This route will continue to be monitored and should there be any marked deterioration in terms of road safety or an increase in collisions then appropriate action may be considered in the future. It is our Highways Engineer’s opinion, that no engineering measures, signage, lines or physical infrastructure currently in place, or lack thereof, contributed to this fatal collision.