Cirencester mum named after A429 fatal crash

8:53am Friday 4th January 2013 in News By Laura Shack

A CIRENCESTER mum who died after she was hit by a car while crossing a dual carriageway has been named as Susan MacKenzie.

The 59-year-old was attempting to cross the A429 between the Waitrose and Stroud Road roundabouts at around 5.50pm on Wednesday when she was struck by the black Audi A4.

She was taken to Swindon’s Great Western Hospital with major traumatic head and chest injuries but later died.

It is believed the mum-of-three had been crossing from a bus stop on the opposite side of the road.

The driver of the Audi, a 42-year-old woman from Wiltshire, along with two primary school-aged children who were also in the car, were not injured in the crash but were taken to Cirencester Hospital as a precaution.

The A429 was closed for around five hours while investigations were carried out.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gloucestershire police on 101, quoting incident number 313 of January 2.

To pay tribute to Susan MacKenzie through the Standard, please contact reporter Laura Shack on laura.shack@wiltsglosstandard.co.uk

Comments(23)

andrew.carpenter says...
9:09am Fri 4 Jan 13

A tragedy that should never have happened. We should campaign to erect metal fencing down the centre of the dual carriageway at that spot in order to discourage people from crossing there, and we should build an underpass too so that people no longer need to needlessly risk their lives crossing a busy main road. Come on , it's all your fault!

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ciren001 says...
9:46am Fri 4 Jan 13

I agree with Andrew, terrible tragedy, however from reading the previous report I think she was crossing from the bus stop to the Chesterton area which means that she was directly above the subway to deer park. I would be interested to know which way the car was travelling, I know from personal experience of trying to drive out of the end of Chesterton Lane into the traffic that people drive far too fast up the hill so this accident does not surprise me, I was however surprised at the location as there is a central fence (which admittedly is not long enough though) and an underpass, I know it can flood, was this the case then forcing her to go across the road? As usual it takes a tragedy for anyone to sit up and take notice. I also agree with Andrew that it needs a fence all the way down to stop people crossing at the end of the alley from Chesterton Park. maybe also a speed limit ?

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The News Reader says...
12:15pm Fri 4 Jan 13

This is just the pits, I can't talk about the speed involved in this incident, but am certain that it took place at the entrance to the side 'alleyway' into Chesterton Park. Tragically the subway makes for a 1-minute longer alternative, however lots of people cross at this point, including myself and access Chesterton Park to walk through into the Chesterton area. The only way to prevent such an incident occurring again is to physically prevent the ability to cross this dual carriageway, so Andrew's metal fencing idea is the only method of physically addressing this in my opinion. However, as a 'belt-and-braces' approach AND essentially because there is a footpath running down both sides of the full length of this section of dual carriageway to the hospital and into town I would vote for an immediate 30 mph speed restriction from the Waitrose roundabout to the Agriculture College roundabout. Literally hundreds of kids walk this section to Deer Park and the college every day and it's really scary having cars (legally) driving 70mph (and sometimes more) only feet away from you.
If it is found that the subway and the bridge by the leisure centre are avoided because of their gradients, or fears over safety, perhaps a pedestrian crossing would also be a good idea. I know these things all cost, but we really can't afford to have another incident like this again.

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Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum says...
1:01pm Fri 4 Jan 13

A desperately sad incident and I feel for all involved.

I travel this stretch of road every day and it is a very fast stretch of road where people are continually dodging traffic to take a short cut into Chesterton Park.

Remember, there is a bridge at the Waitrose r/b and a subway at the top of the hill.

As TNR says, I would advocate an immediate 30 mph speed limit and a metal barrier along the middle of the carriageway.

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ciren001 says...
1:27pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Totally agree with the last two posts, I also drive this everyday and walk it regularly, and have been scared to death by drivers when Ive been both on foot and in the car.
Barrier from top to bottom, perhaps along the footpath edges too and a speed restriction please.

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devonshiredumpling says...
2:24pm Fri 4 Jan 13

The day after this happened a lady was walking up the central reservation from the town centre, so dangerous.
I think a footpath needs to be intalled on hospital side up to the Chesterton turning.

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Jessica Rabbit says...
2:53pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Ok... This is a tragic accident and I feel for both women and their families... I am not suggesting for one minute that speed was involved, I would just like to respond to the comments above...I wrote to highways about 6 years ago with regard to the speed of traffic on that stretch of road. The response was a joke. One man wrote to say that any pedestrians walking along the path are protected by the cycle lane if a car swerves off! Stuff the cyclists heh!! I also wrote to our local MPs to tell them about the response and to ask them to get involved and to support a speed limit. Not one replied! Every day hundreds of children walk up and down that hill to school, people walk to the park, people walk on the other side to the hospital. I myself walk along there often and I can tell you, it is terrifying. To have vehicles whizz by at speeds of 70mph arms is crazy. There should be a 30mph limit along there as it is a pedestrian area and school route. Last year a car crashed in to the bus stop due to speeding... when will the people in charge take notice and order an immediate speed limit?

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Smythe says...
5:16pm Fri 4 Jan 13

A tragic case there is no doubt but we have many armchair experts and keyboard warriors spouting on here giving their fourpenneth before
(a) The police have completed their enquiries
(b) The coroner has made a decision.
How come everybody knows everything about anything? Lots of assumptions are being made when none of you have any shred of evidence in this particular case other than there was a car, a pedestrian, a collision took place and there was no central reservation barrier, oh, and it was nighttime.
Calls have been made for this magical barrier as though it will be the salvation of all, barriers will stop most of the elderly, and those with prams etc, they will not stop any fairly active youth or adult from jumping or vaulting over them. Just go into any town centre where they have zebra/pelican crossings, how many people do you see too lazy or impatient to walk that extra 20yds to cross at the dedicated site?
As for the speed limit argument, any speed limit has to be reasonable and achievable, e.g. there is no point putting a 30mph speed limit on a dual carriageway where vehicles for 40 years have travelled in relative safety at 60 or 70mph, then comes the issue of enforcement, how are they going to do it? Put a police officer out there with a laser and somebody who is stopped will inevitably coin the phrase ‘haven’t you got anything better to do, or criminals to catch?

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Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum says...
7:13pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Smythe,

I think the main point being made is that although a dual carriageway, people simply drive too fast without due consideration for other drivers and pedestrians.

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Smythe says...
7:48pm Fri 4 Jan 13

That point had not passed me by, however how many people have been convicted of driving without due consideration for other road users, it is all too easy to lay the blame at a drivers door, but allegations and proof are two different things, let us remember that this is not a one-way contract, all road users including pedestrians have a duty to safeguard the wellbeing of others on the highway.
We can cut the speed limit down but some people will drive at a speed they think is safe, how many times have people cursed under their breath at somebody driving at 28mph in a 60 limit area, but remember it feels safe to them, likewise some drivers will feel safe and confident staying at any speed limit in a variety of conditions, it doesn't mean though that they are going too fast, it is may feel so when they whizz by you whilst you're stood waiting to cross the road, it is all subjective.
Let's let the proper professionals do their job before the jury is called.

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daveglos says...
7:59pm Fri 4 Jan 13

So many fatalities in the area lately and too many people losing their lives. It would be good if Cirencester set the example and revised speed limits in and around the town. I would also like to see a Police Officer carrying out a speed check, something I have not seen for a long time in Cirencester. This is not really applicable to this case ( at present ) however there are lots of roads in and around Cirencester where speeding is an issue, and I'm suprised that we have not had more injuries.

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The World According To says...
8:20pm Fri 4 Jan 13

I agree with Smythe, let's wait to see what the collision investigation team comes up with, speed can be extremely deceptive, I served for 20 years as traffic patrol and speed enforcement officer, our services with radar and later laser speed gun was in great demand especially with villagers and more so with councillors to be able to get that all important ammo to demand lower speed limits from above. We would set the equipment up and then ask them what speed the approaching vehicles were travelling at, invariably they were estimating at least 10 miles an hour higher than actual speed and had one who gave an estimate of 75mph for a car doing 35 in a 40 zone, I kid you not. This was usually followed the next week by us booking the same people for speeding on that road, usually accompanied with "you can't book me I live here".
Collision, formerly known as accident, prevention is a complicated science, it isn't just down to speed, visibility, road surface and vehicle maintenance, the health of the road user( drink, drugs, mobility, reaction times, eyesight, hearing even mental health issues) to name but a few come into the fray.
To think that reducing the speed limit and putting in a barrier is some sort of silver bullet will not help, it may be the cheaper than say putting in a road bridge/underpass, but if you start talking of putting in Armco barriers down the refuge you really need to do the whole stretch because people will just move further down the road to find a gap, you can spend millions on all manner of barriers, bridges, underpasses and lighting but if people don't want to use a safety crossing they won't use it.
It's too early for theories and finger pointing, feelings are still raw and people you really need to take a step back and let those dealing with it, do just that.

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Jessica Rabbit says...
8:20pm Fri 4 Jan 13

With regard to the speed limit issue only...Swindon has a speed limit all the way from the A419 slip road, through abbey meads, past ASDA and into Bridgemead of 40mph. This is a long stretch of dual carriageway, there are less pedestrians on the footpath than the stretch of road in question here. If Swindon can enforce this, why can't Cirencester follow suit and put safety before speed? It is, after all, a relatively short dual carriageway where by the time the driver has hit a crazy speed they are then slamming on their brakes to stop. I have seen many near misses over the years all due to speed.

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Angel989 says...
9:34pm Fri 4 Jan 13

I passed the accident seconds after it happened. It was very distressing to see but even more so to all involved. No one but those involved knows what happened but it does seem some kind of crossing or barriers need to be put in place to take the temptation out of crossing there. Surely putting a bus stop right next to a busy road is just asking for people to try and cross there? At the end of the day this has significantly changed two families lives and my thoughts and prayers are with them both.

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Smythe says...
9:34pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Jessica Rabbit says " I have seen many near misses over the years all due to speed.” So do we take it you have seen many collisions over the years, because just for a moment think what you have said, a near-miss is in fact a collision.
All these incidents, have you reported them and made statements?
"All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". Edmund Burke

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redwilts says...
10:29pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Everyone going on about speed. No one knows what happened. One family has lost someone. Another with small children are traumatised. Think people should stop pontificating and wait for official report

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The World According To says...
10:00am Sat 5 Jan 13

Hallelujah! At last somebody is not band-wagon jumping.

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Jessica Rabbit says...
12:02pm Sat 5 Jan 13

Smythe... My comment is about the speed nothing else, and yes, if you read my earlier posts I have spent years writing to authorities about this stretch of road and getting no-where.

At the end of the day a lady has died and 2 families lives are in ruin... It could have happened to any of us, including myself as I walk and drive the road everyday... My thoughts are with both families at this time, but it does not stop me showing an interest in the story and responding to comments made earlier regarding the speed... nobody is jumping on the band-wagon... we are all concerned and thinking of those involved, otherwise we would not be writing on here!

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cirencesterwomen says...
4:57pm Sat 5 Jan 13

Sue was a beautiful person. She always had the biggest smile on her face whenever I saw her and was always laughing.
Her giggle was infectious and her kind heart enormous.
This is an absolutely tragic loss and my heart felt condolences go out to her son, two daughters and the rest of the family. There are no words to make sense of a tragedy like this. Rest in peace Sue. You will be massively missed and will remain always in our hearts. X

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carebear says...
4:55pm Mon 7 Jan 13

such a shame & very tragic,but at the same time you have to feel for the poor woman driving the car, after all you dont expect someone to walk out in front of you on a dual carriageway

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safetyaware says...
1:00am Fri 11 Jan 13

Another tragic incident and I am truly sorry for those involved. Unfortunately there is the usual cry that 'somebody' should do something about it. I believe the incident occurred under the footbridge, errected at great expense I am sure, so that people do not have to cross that very busy, fast road. At the opposite end of that dual carriageway there is an underpass so again another opportunity to cross safely. A metal fence/barrier has already been erected in the central reservation at this point. However, I regularly see people jumping over the barrier to cross the road. Speed limits are only effective if people abide by them. I believe the majority of people in Cirencester do not know that the town is now the subject of a 20mph speed limit. The A429 - 419 is a busy trunk road taking heavy traffic from the south and east towards Stroud. The road is part of the original Cirencester bypass and therefore bypasses the domestic areas. Speed itself is not the problem; about the same time, a car in the 30mph speed limit on Burford Road went round the London Road roundabout the wrong way and hit a wall. I have only heard rumours of the possible tragic outcome of this incident. So we must all take responsbility for our own actions and stop expecting others to do it for us. Do all those people calling for a 30mph speed limit actually abide by the existing speed limits around the town?

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Richard_H says...
5:18pm Fri 11 Jan 13

We need to be sensible about speed limits. 30 mph may be too much if passing close to a crowd of schoolchildren who are not paying attention to the traffic, but make no sense at all on a dual carriageway if there are no pedestrians or other traffic - indeed this may contribute to general disrespect and disregard for speed limits. Drivers need as a priority to take account of the conditions, as directed in the Highway Code. Having said this, I have always felt that 50 mph was ample on this relatively short stretch of road even when it was empty.

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carebear says...
10:51pm Fri 11 Jan 13

i dont think that speed is an issue when there are quite clearly crossing points, as there are all around the ring road, as a daily driver i see all the time people who are either too lazy to use the bridges or too fearful to use the underpasses and take thir lives in thier hands running across dimly lit roads.

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