COUNCIL chiefs have today (Tuesday, December 18) given their backing to safety improvements on the road where teenager Warren Hay was hit by a car and killed. The Kings Ripton junction of A141 in Huntingdon, which leads to the Jubilee Park recreation gro

COUNCIL chiefs have today (Tuesday, December 18) given their backing to safety improvements on the road where teenager Warren Hay was hit by a car and killed.

The Kings Ripton junction of A141 in Huntingdon, which leads to the Jubilee Park recreation ground has seen eight accidents in the last three years.

Although the majority of accidents involve cars tragically teenager Warren Hay died while trying to cross the road in May.

Since the teenager's death more than 17,000 signatures have been collected demanding those in authority to introduce safety measures on the A141.

Members of Cambridgeshire County Council's Cabinet have now agreed detailed plans should be drawn up for a £160,000 scheme to ban right turns into and out of the A141/ Kings Ripton junction using a central raised island.

The county council has also confirmed as predicted in last week's The Hunts Post that they will be writing to Huntingdonshire District Council and Huntingdon Town Council asking them to match fund this scheme so that it can be upgraded to traffic lights with a pedestrian crossing.

The call follows a letter from coroner David Morris who also called upon the Huntingdonshire councils to look to help fund a scheme after safety advice given by the County Council was ignored at the planning stages for the park.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Mac McGuire, lead member for highways and transport said: "I am glad my Cabinet colleagues agreed to support me in this call for extra funding from Huntingdonshire District Council and Huntingdon Town Council. The County Council has done all it can to fast track this and put forward a workable scheme that would attract funding. Now we have this secured it is time for the other councils to look at their own finances and what they can do, especially in light of the coroner's letter. We are looking to put forward our share of the money and are in talks with a local landowner over the creation of a path to the recreation ground. If this pedestrian crossing is to be introduced then it is vital the other councils come forward now with funding."

Warren's mother, Maxine Hay who helped set up the Warren Hay Road Safety Action Group to campaign for safety improvements on the road, told The Hunts Post she was pleased with the way things were moving forward. She also urged the town and district council to contribute financially to the scheme and said she would not give up campaigning until safety improvements had been installed on the road where her son died.

INFORMATION: Maxine Hay and members of the Warren Hay Road Safety Action Group will be selling t-shirts and wristbands and collecting signatures in the foyer of Tesco in Huntingdon on Saturday, December 22.