LOCAL opinion has forced a U-turn on a proposal to segregate lanes on a notorious accident blackspot road.

The downside of the Birk Brow dual carriageway on the A171 Teesside to Whitby road is extremely narrow, steep and has a sharp hairpin bend in it.

Safety measures being considered by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council would have restricted all HGVs, buses and tractors to the inside lane and cars, vans, motorbikes and caravans to the outside lane so that vehicles would be unable to overtake.

But people living in the east Cleveland villages of Stanghow, Moorsholm and Lingdale, who use the road daily, feared it would do more harm than good because they believe it would remove the only safe place to overtake between Whitby and Guisborough.

Councillor Steve Kay, who represents the villages on the borough council, said: "Residents feared that by removing the opportunity to overtake on the dual carriageway, even the most patient drivers would become frustrated and make risky overtaking manoeuvres on the single carriageway."

Now, the council has taken on board the views and knowledge of the local people and has agreed to drop the proposal.

Councillor Sylvia Szintai, lead member for the environment and infrastructure, said: "We listened to local people and I went to a public meeting in Stanghow and it then went to public consultation and the objections were made.

"It is my duty to look at the objections and say whether we do it or not.

"We decided in the light of the objections not to go ahead.

"I think we have made people happy on that one."

Coun Kay said: "This is a victory for common sense and local knowledge.

"Redcar and Cleveland Council does not often listen to the wishes of east Cleveland but this is an exception."