A MOTORBIKE rally is being staged to call for increased safety measures on a deadly stretch of Hampshire road.

Members of the Southampton Motorcycle Action Group are gathering en masse after three bikers died in two crashes on the A326 in just one month.

Dozens of riders will drive to Hampshire County Council’s headquarters in Winchester to hand in a 1,000-name petition calling for action.

Council leader Ken Thornber has already promised to add extra safety measures at the tragic accident spots by the end of the financial year.

Action group member Maggie Gwynne said the rally, at 11.30am on January 23, would put pressure on highways bosses to carry out their promises.

She said: “It is such a dangerous road – especially in the dark.

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“There was a list of about eight other things they were going to do by the end of March so we are keeping the pressure on to make sure they do what they said they would.”

Biker Tim Reynolds, 51, of Whittington Close, Hythe, was killed at the busy junction with Twiggs Lane on September 13.

The crash happened just weeks after Terry Stubbs, 29, and his 11-year-old step-daughter Channon Kevern, both of Fawley, died on the Hythe to Hardley section of the A326.

The lay-by adjacent to that accident spot has already been closed off following an emotional plea by Channon’s mum Nicol.

Mrs Gwynne added: “We are doing this on behalf of the families and friends of the victims – this is a high visibility way of delivering our message.

“We have to make sure that something comes out of these unfortunate deaths last year.”

At a public meeting to discuss the safety of the road last November, Ken Thornber promised a raft of improvements including road sign upgrades and added high visibility lines and red surfacing. Traffic islands will also be updated He told the meeting: “We will take action. I’m not an anonymous spokesman, I’m leader of the county council.

“I’m a man of my word and we will be taking action even before we hear the coroner’s reports and before we have the police reports.”

Maggie Gwynne has called on petition organisers to return lists of names to her before the rally takes place. She can be contacted on 023 8029 2890.