Forge Lane, Stocksbridge: Sheffield horse rider fears for lives, after terrifying car incidents
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Alison, an interior designer from Deepcar, feared for her own safety, and that of others on Sunday, after a car hurtled round a corner on Forge Lane, Stocksbridge, as she and friends were taking horses across the road to a field.
The 50-year-old told The Star the driver took his car between three horses at between 30mph and 40mph, after she had been at the entrance to the bend, signalling at drivers to try to slow them down with an up-and-down waving gesture.
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She said: “He was asked to slow down. He didn’t, but he then decided to stop and hurl abuse at me. I was also called a stupid b**ch for standing in the road to alert him of the horses on the verge side. This is what we have to do to protect our horses for people who have absolutely no idea. The new Highway Code is to pass horses at 10mph with a 2m gap. I don’t want to die, or my horse, because drivers can’t be bothered to slow down.”
She said several incidents have happened nearby in recent weeks where horses have been spooked by traffic. In one, a woman had her shoulder ligaments damaged as a horse bolted after a vehicle came past at a speed that was regarded as too fast. The injured woman had to be taken to the accident and emergency department at the Northern General Hospital as a result of the incident, which Alison described as involving a car coming around a blind bend and managing to stop just short of the animals.
She called police over the incident, and plans to ask for the speed limit to be reduced from the current 60mph. She also wants signs installed warning that horses may be on the road to encourage drivers to slow down. "This is an everyday occurrence,” she said.
South Yorkshire Police said: “We are aware of reports of an incident involving a vehicle and number of horse riders on Forge Lane in the Wortley area of Sheffield on October 9. We are aware of the concerns raised by the riders involved and will be investigating the matter.”