I find myself approaching you regarding circumstances which I would consider grave. As a resident of The Parkway, Cottingham, East Yorkshire, I wish to do everything within my power and hopefully yours to address the issue of the constant dangerous driving on this long stretch of road.

As you are undoubtedly aware the national enforced speed limit in a residential area with street lights and no speed signs is 30mph. However, myself, my family and the countless other residents who live on and around this busy road see this law brazenly flouted, every minute of every hour of every day. Not only does this cause a problem for the responsible road users of this community but it also causes a serious and frankly dangerous problem for pedestrians. On more than one occasion have I seen near misses between pedestrians and speeding motorists. The aforementioned is only part of the reason I am desperately trying to bring this to the attention of the local council, officials and those with the ability to make change. On 08th of Aug 2022 we as a family suffered a tragedy as a direct result of the reckless driving we have seen so much of. Our adopted daughter, a sister to five was struck by a careless and dangerous driver, she suffered severe head trauma and was killed instantly. As you can imagine this is a massive and devastating blow to us and to those in the community that knew her, who saw on a daily basis and spoke to every time. Something must be done.

Now please understand, yes, we suffered a tragic loss, unfortunately however this crime does not require reporting because it was our beloved cat Zia who was killed. Please take a moment to read the above paragraph again, allow that to sink in, I hope that it has an impact to at least some level. We have four children who are at this time inconsolable, for us as a family it feels like we have lost a child. Now just imagine if it was a child that had been struck. A teenager on a bike, a child on a scooter or a mother and baby in a pram. If something is not done, I can say with almost absolute certainty that it will not be long, especially in the coming winter months, when it gets dark earlier.  

There are three schools close by Bacon Garth, Westfield and Cottingham High. Children use The Parkway everyday, twice a day and more as a means to walk or cycle to both schools, including my own children. As of now, there are NO traffic control measures on The Parkway. There are NO safe crossing points on The Parkway and there is NO traffic enforcement on The Parkway. Zebra crossings, pelican crossings, speed cameras, speed bumps, an enforced 20mph speed limit, these are just a few of the options available to the local authorities and to date as far as I can ascertain NONE have ever been used. What needs to happen before something is done, what is the cost, what price needs to be paid before action is taken. The Parkway already has its share of blood in the amount of loved pets, adopted family members it has claimed, or does it need a human sacrifice too. 

Because of my past I have had the good fortune to learn the common sense and understanding to know that prevention is always better than the cure. I believe, wholeheartedly, that something can and should be done NOW, however for reasons I have never understood it doesn’t work as simply as that. The good people, the VOTERS of this community, are put at risk while rich men and women in suits sit down and debate, talk and argue about a course of action for a year or two, only to have it shelved because money can be better spent elsewhere. How many signatures on a petition would it take to convince the officials in a seat of power and responsibility that the people, their constituents want to be safe and need real progress and change.

We as a family hope that this doesn’t fall on deaf ears and real progress is made for the safety of all on and around The Parkway.

I have taken the liberty at this time to email several officials, Ruth Gore Safer roads Humber, David Davis MP, Councillor Green, Councillor Mike Medini and Cottingham Council. At this stage however I am still waiting, but for how long I do not know.