NEWPORT’s Southern Distributor Road has appeared in the news numerous times in recent years as an accident black spot where a number of people have been fatally or seriously injured over the years.
The road – which cost around £55 million to build – opened in December 2004 and has long been the topic of discussion when it comes to crashes with calls to make the road safer. At least 52 incidents have occurred since 2007 that the Argus is aware of, and this number is likely to be higher.
Newport City Council introduced a lower speed limit on a crash hotspot on the road in February last year. Here we look at how the trial is affecting the road.
Why was a speed limit introduced?
Joshua Fletcher, 16, was killed when he was riding his bicycle by the Blaina Wharf Pub on October 16, 2020, after a collision with a grey Ford Focus. The driver of the car was arrested in suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and released under investigation.
Joshua’s family called for something to be done to make the road safer with a petition that received more than 1,000 signatures. His aunt Avril Fletcher said: “Apparently there were already plans to review the SDR but we’re hoping to make it more high-profile.
“Thank you to the community for your signatures and support.”
A number of councillors and politicians were among those supporting something being done to help the situation.
Newport East MS John Griffiths said: "Road safety is rightly a major concern for many people," he said. "When a serious accident occurs, it is necessary to examine whether changes could be made to prevent further accidents.
"And that is even more important when a life has been lost.
"Avril Fletcher, Joshua’s aunt is taking action so that the circumstances of the accident are very carefully considered along with changes to make the road safer for all who use it."
Cllr Matthew Evans, Newport council’s Conservative group leader, said he would welcome “an urgent safety review” to examine accident statistics on the SDR.
“It was a terrible tragedy, and I would welcome an urgent safety review to ascertain all the facts regarding serious accidents on this stretch of road,” he said.
At the time, a spokeswoman for Newport City Council said: “In such circumstances, the police will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. We and the road operator will support them fully in that process.
“When the investigation and legal processes have concluded, the council in its role as highway authority will work with the police to further examine the location and establish if any further measures need to be considered.”
On February 22 - almost a year ago - the council introduced a 30mph speed limit on the SDR and Usk Way. This means that either side of the junction on Usk Way – near the Blaina Wharf Pub and between the SDR junction and the junction with Frederick Street, Pill will be a 30mph zone.
On the SDR, the 30mph zone stretches eastwards over the SDR bridge, ending 200 metres before the junction with Corporation Road.
West of the Usk Way junction, the SDR was made into 40mph zone until the approach to the Transporter Bridge access road.
Has it worked?
The 18-month trial is still ongoing, but approaching a year into the trial, there has been a reduction in the number of incidents.
As you can see from the timeline below, only three incidents were recorded on the SDR following the implementation of the speed limits, compared to seven in the 12 months prior. It is unknown whether there are any further factors that affected this, but a full review will be carried out by the council at the end of the trial period in August.
Here we look back at some of the road’s biggest incidents.
On August 8, 2012, 40-year-old cyclist Andrew Chick was killed in a collision on the SDR at 7.30am after a collision with a black Volkswagen car.
On January 10, 2013, an 11-year-old boy was hit by a car on the SDR near the Morrisons. He was taken to hospital with serious head injuries but was later said to not have suffered life-threatening injuries. The road was closed for four hours.
On September 15, 2013, 22-year-old Jordan Bolt was killed in a race with 24-year-old Joseph Cairns along the SDR. Mr Bolt crashed into and over a roundabout in Alway and died of ‘catastrophic head injuries’ according to prosecutor Roger Griffiths in the 2015 trial of Cairns. He was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.
Witnesses told the court how they were travelling along the road and saw two sets of headlights rapidly coming towards them and estimated that they were travelling around 90 to 100mph and quickly headed out of sight.
The court was then told: “I could see the white Audi going up in the air. I started screaming
On May 11, 2016, Cllr Roger Jeavons raised concerns about the dangers of the SDR. He said: “Someone is going to get killed.
“There is absolutely no chance if a child was to walk out onto the road.
“It’s the bane of the lives of residents in Lliswerry and across the whole city.
“We’ve had vehicles going past at speeds in excess of 40 and 50mph.
“There’s no way anyone would survive if they were hit at that speed.
“It’s getting worse by the minute.”
A teenager was involved in a hit and run on November 28, 2017. At the time he said: “The car then switched from the right lane to the left lane.
“He hit me from the back, it clipped me and I was rolling on the floor.
"I didn't roll far, but I was trying to grab to the floor, which is I hurt my fingers.
"After he hit me, I was very disorientated and couldn't stand."
On November 17, 2020, a teenager was seriously injured after a crash on the SDR in the early hours of the morning. A van was involved in the crash with three people in it.
The teenager survived – in part thanks to the quick action of a nearby resident who heard the crash.
These are just some of the incidents which have happened on the busy road. Whether the new 30mph limit has made a difference remains to be seen, but for the family of Joshua Fletcher, and others who have been seriously hurt or killed on the road, it is already too late.
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