MANY people claim to have ‘accident blackspots’ in their respective areas of Barnsley but even the most ardent of campaigners won’t dispute the dangers of the A61 - which connects Barnsley to Newmillerdam - after the worst road tragedy in recent memory occurred on Sunday.
It’s a 50mph stretch, dominated by double white lines which prohibit overtaking on all but one area past The Limes at Barnsley’s end, and that’s in place for a reason given it’s been dominated by collisions over the years thanks to its undulations and corners.
It’s a road that has a strange make-up, too, because it’s actually the border of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, where council lines and police forces’ jurisdictions alter.
What we all noted locally - and indeed the entire country - on Sunday and the days that followed shocked everyone.
That’s because six people, including four adults and two children, died at the scene.
Shane Roller, aged 33, Shannen Morgan, aged 30, and their two children - Rubie Morgan-Roller, nine, and Lillie Morgan-Roller, four - lost their lives.
They were travelling in their Ford Focus when it collided with 56-year-old motorcyclist Christopher Barton and his wife of 25 years, Janine Barton, 48.
However, the focus fell on 11-year-old Poppie Morgan-Roller - the couple’s eldest - who declined to attend the family’s walk around Newmillerdam and instead stayed at a friend’s house.
That decision spared her life, but it cruelly meant she’d live with a life-long trauma at such a tender age.
This innocent child’s life was torn apart - her mum, dad and two sisters were taken away from her - and it’s why a legion of well-wishers have donated to a Go Fund Me appeal which has raised more than £350,000 for her future.
While police investigators are piecing together the details as to what happened because they’re professionals, what we’ve seen this week is the usual mob of social media theorists come to the fore who really should think before they type and post, and show respect to the fragility of the situation.
What’s clear is this: there’s been a phenomenal outpouring of support, but it’s borne out of utter heartbreak and it’s a situation that the majority will never, ever have to endure, however something absolutely has to change on the A61.
The Barnsley stretch of the road had its speed camera removed a handful of years ago - seemingly with zero explanation - but even this wouldn’t have stopped lives being lost in this terrible incident.
Average speed checks, as annoying as they can be on the motorway, will absolutely save lives on this deadly section of road and whoever’s responsible - whether it’s Wakefield Council, Barnsley Council, West Yorkshire Police or South Yorkshire Police - need to form an alliance and see this through.
