Coroner calls for speed limit (From Stroud News and Journal)

Coroner calls for speed limit

A CORONER has called for a speed limit on a busy country lane near Stroud following a fatal accident in June this year.

David Gibbons, the Gloucester coroner, called for a 40mph limit on the tiny lane from Owlpen to Nympsfield after hearing how on June 21 'livewire' dress designer Sarah Appleyard, 39, died when she rounded a bend in the lane on her 900cc sporting Ducati motorcycle and found a four-wheel-drive Shogun travelling slowly in front of her.

Police accident investigator David Holland told the Gloucester inquest that he believed Miss Appleyard took the bend at between 40-50mph, saw the Shogun, driven by 71-year-old Mrs Madge Tyrrell, and slammed on her brakes.

"I believe that she then mounted the grass verge and travelled 22.95 metres through long grass before she collided with a wall," said Pc Holland.

"She was thrown from her machine, which then cartwheeled into the air and slightly hit the rear of the Shogun as it landed.

"I believe that a limit of 40mph is sufficient for a road of this sort. A speed of 50-60mph is very excessive and a reduced speed would be very helpful."

Pc Holland said Mrs Tyrrell had joined the lane from the village of Nympsfield.

She stopped at the junction and as she could not see anything travelling in her direction she turned onto the road and was doing 20mph when Miss Appleyard, of The Terrace, Rockness, Nailsworth, came around the bend.

Mrs Marcia Wright, who lives on the junction, told the court: "It is a very dangerous road because of the speed of the traffic.

"It comes very fast and the grass on the verges was very tall. You would have had difficulty seeing around the bend.

Miss Appleyard's partner, David Coates, told the coroner "She was a real livewire. She had a zest for life and was always on the go."

He added that Miss Appleyard had both a car and a motorcycle driving licence and had bought her Ducati 15 months ago.

"She was a true biker," he said. "She was cautious not to damage her bike and she did not speed. I think she would have been going at between 40-50mph on that road."

The coroner said: "This is a dangerous and difficult junction, not least because of the speed of the traffic and not least because the grass on the verge, which is only cut once or twice a year, hinders motorists approaching the junction.

"Clearly, Miss Appleyard had her machine under control but then she hit the wall. We shall never really know what actually happened."

He added "I will be in touch with the Highways Authority and will be calling for a 40mph speed limit along this lane and signs warning that this is a dangerous bend."

Verdict: Accidental death.