Hertfordshire road safety petition set up by victim's daughter

A woman whose mother died in a car accident has started a petition calling for safety measures along the road.

Gillian Williams, 55, from Dunstable, was killed while driving along the A5183 between St Albans and Redbourn at 23:45 BST on 9 October.

An inquest has not been held but her daughter Whitney Hughes said speed cameras and lights should be installed.

Hertfordshire County Council said any safety recommendations will come after the police investigation concludes.

Mrs Williams's car was in collision with one driven by Tony Southwood, 72, from St Albans, who also died.

Ms Hughes said the council has told her 18 lives have been lost along the same stretch of road since 1981.

Setting up the petition Make Redbourn Road Safe, she said "sudden bends... few street lights... and poor drainage" were a "recipe for disaster".

"95% of Redbourn Road is left in absolute darkness," she said.

"Having lights is not asking too much, so many lives have been lost, something has to be done.

"We also need speed cameras, I'm not complaining about the [50mph] speed limit, but it's not enforced, people fly down there."

The target of 1,000 signatures has nearly been reached in two days and Ms Hughes said she was "really pleased" by the response.

"I'm trying to make something positive come out of it," she said.

"I don't want my mum's passing to mean nothing. I wouldn't like to to wake up and find out it has happened again and I hadn't tried."

A spokeswoman for the county council's Hertfordshire Highways said it always encouraged residents to "voice any concerns" about their local roads.

"As the police investigation is still ongoing any possible safety recommendations will wait until that concludes," she said.