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| Sheppey crossing crash: Calls for speed restrictions | Sheppey crossing crash: Calls for speed restrictions |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| There are calls for lighting and speed restrictions on a bridge in Kent where 130 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes in thick fog. | There are calls for lighting and speed restrictions on a bridge in Kent where 130 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes in thick fog. |
| Eight people have serious injuries and a further 35 also needed hospital treatment following the pile-up on the Sheppey crossing on Thursday. | Eight people have serious injuries and a further 35 also needed hospital treatment following the pile-up on the Sheppey crossing on Thursday. |
| David Bizley from the RAC said: "It was a miracle that nobody was killed." | David Bizley from the RAC said: "It was a miracle that nobody was killed." |
| The A249 bridge was closed for nine hours while the wreckage was cleared. It partially reopened at 17:30 BST. | The A249 bridge was closed for nine hours while the wreckage was cleared. It partially reopened at 17:30 BST. |
| Some reports said the series of crashes went on for 10 minutes. | Some reports said the series of crashes went on for 10 minutes. |
| Those involved in the collisions described a mass of tangled cars, lorries and vans. | |
| Warning signs | |
| Mr Bizley said improvements in car design had helped protect occupants. | Mr Bizley said improvements in car design had helped protect occupants. |
| Edmund King from the AA said: "As a minimum we would like to see matrix warning signs either side of the bridge, so if there is severe weather it can advise that people should slow down. | |
| "There's a good case here for reducing the speed, particularly when there's bad weather." | |
| Councillor Ken Pugh from Swale Borough Council said he had been campaigning for lighting and speed restrictions since the bridge was opened in 2006. | |
| "If the bridge had been lit properly and speed signs had come up, perhaps the tragedy would not have happened," he said. | |
| No hard shoulder | |
| The £100m four-lane crossing connects the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent. | |
| It is three-quarters of a mile (1.25km) long and rises to 115ft (35m) at its highest point. | It is three-quarters of a mile (1.25km) long and rises to 115ft (35m) at its highest point. |
| In 2006 the then Chief Constable of Kent, Mike Fuller, said there were "significant concerns" over the safety of the bridge. | |
| They included no emergency telephones, lighting, or hard shoulder. | They included no emergency telephones, lighting, or hard shoulder. |
| Mr Fuller also called for a speed limit reduction on the bridge - it is currently the national limit of 70mph. | Mr Fuller also called for a speed limit reduction on the bridge - it is currently the national limit of 70mph. |