Recent video footage of a motorhome trying to do a dangerous U-turn after driving the wrong way down a short dual carriageway section of the A1 is being used by a campaign aiming to get the whole road dualled.
The footage, captured by a local lorry driver, shows the motorhome trying to make the U-turn after travelling south on the northbound carriageway of the A1 near the Swarland junction in Northumberland.
No one was injured in the incident, and the vehicle was eventually able to make the U-turn. But local councillors say it shows why the road, which is currently only partially dualled between Newcastle and the Scottish border, needs improving.
They claim that even some of the sections which are already dual carriageway are no longer fit for purpose, while poor junctions and repeated switches from single to dual carriageway only confuse motorists.
Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, a cabinet member on Northumberland County Council and councillor for the Bamburgh ward, said the video would be added to a dossier the A1 Road Safety Alliance campaign group is putting together as part of its campaign.
“This is just further evidence that this road isn’t fit for purpose,” he said.
An online petition launched earlier this month calling for the whole Northumberland section to be made into a dual carriageway has already gained over 4000 signatures.
Something else ‘van owners will want to know about before taking to the road are the appropriate speeds to travel at. Our guide to the motorhome speed limits in the UK will help, as we share what you need to know.
Images: David Henderson
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