A Royston motorist who posted an image on Facebook saying he had been ‘marked safe’ after travelling on the A505 as part of a running joke has said he doesn’t think the road should be demonised.

Royston Crow: Darran Cooke posted that he was marked safe from the A505 in Royston in a mock Facebook image. Picture: Darran CookeDarran Cooke posted that he was marked safe from the A505 in Royston in a mock Facebook image. Picture: Darran Cooke (Image: Archant)

Darran Cooke, who regularly uses the Royston to Baldock stretch to go to Letchworth, said he and his mum have a running joke about making it safely home after using the A505 and this inspired him to create the mock image on Photoshop.

The 'marked safe' feature on Facebook is usually activated during disasters and terror-related incidents to quickly determine whether people in the affected area are OK.

The 41-year-old told the Crow: "The A505 is a hot topic for people in Royston, whether they think it should be changed or not.

"I have been driving on the A505 my whole life - people demonise the road but it's not the road's fault.

"I was involved in a 14-car pile-up near the Horse & Groom when I was 17. My mum and my brother were both taken to hospital, and I still think the road's layout is not the problem.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with the road itself. There are more drivers now so maybe that's the problem. If they did close some of the cut-throughs there would be less crashes, because then it would be a straight road and people would have less opportunity to pull out."

Darran, who works in Duxford, added: "I have posted controversial posts and jokes on Royston Reporting before, and they do get a good reponse - I am pleased with the reaction this has had."

The Crow is running a campaign to Make The A505 Safer between Royston and Baldock. Whatever your thoughts, experiences and opinions on the stretch, share them with us at news@royston-crow.co.uk.