'Increasing traffic' concern after duck deaths

Richard Madden
BBC News
BBC A woman stands beside a canal. She has long grey hair and is wearing a dark blue fleece jacket. She is standing on a grass bank lined with large willow trees. The canal is in the background with several boats moored alongside it.BBC
Resident Sharon Hodkinson says she is concerned about increasing traffic in the River Head area of Driffield

A resident living near a river has expressed her concern about "speeding motorists" after two ducks were hit and killed last week.

The ducks are believed to have been hit by a car in the River Head area of Driffield. The incident was reported to Humberside Police, who has been contacted for comment.

Sharon Hodkinson, who is known in the area as the Riverside Duck Lady, is calling for improved signage and road markings, in addition to lower speed limits.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (EYRC) said it had previously assessed roads in the area using national guidelines and found they were not suitable for a lower speed limit.

Two ducks sitting on a patch of grass next to a canal. The bird on the left has brown feathers and a dark beak. The bird on the right is white with an orange beak.
The River Head area is home to a variety of wildlife including ducks, kingfishers and otters

Ms Hodkinson, who is a retired teacher, said the area was home to diverse wildlife, including mallard ducks, moor hens, water voles, kingfishers, otters and cormorants.

The 63-year-old said she was worried further incidents would happen unless measures to reduce speeds were taken.

"I feed the ducks in a morning and I'm anxious when I see people whizzing past," she said.

"It's upsetting, we've never had problems in the past but people nowadays just don't seem to care.

"The volume of traffic has increased immeasurably in recent years. It's not a normal street, it's a beauty spot and it was here long before any house or business.

"We don't have many pavements around here and I'm worried about what could happen to children or pets. The consequences could be terrible.

"People just need to be considerate. It's such a shame that people don't always show patience and care."

A triangular red and white sign attached to a pole. The sign features the silhouette of a duck.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said signage has been installed to warn motorists of wildlife

A spokesperson for the council said: "Traffic engineers have previously carried out an assessment on River Head and found it wasn't suitable for a lower speed limit, following national guidelines. Existing speeds are already very low.

"There is already existing signage in place to warn drivers of the likelihood of ducks in the road ahead.

"Driffield Town Council has selected River Head as one of its proposed sites for a speed indicator device, which would be rotated around the town on a regular basis."

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