Agenda item

To advise of a petition containing more than 500 signatures and ask the Committee to consider a response.

The Chair called upon Gareth Adams, Bentham Town Mayor, to read his below statement.

Good morning, my name is Gareth Adams and I’m the Chair of Bentham Town Council.

I wish to speak on item 9 on your agenda “Receipt of Petition Titled '20mph speed limit for High and Low Bentham”

During my time on Bentham Town Council we have continually tried to improve road safety within the Bentham parish, particularly in respect of that of pedestrians.

We have been disappointed on a number of occasions but we have had some successes such as:

·        Repetitive requests for enforcement cameras for problem areas.

·        Partaking in a scheme to use vehicle activated signs when available, although sadly not currently.

·        Changes to parking arrangements.

·        The road narrowed and a pavement installed on the B6480 at Mount Pleasant, unfortunately, after a member of the public was hit by a vehicle.

·        And some works to provide safe routes to school, when the new primary school was built.

Most of these have been hard to achieve, financial restrictions, practicalities on the ground and policy and protocol all playing their part. Bizarrely it would seem we need injuries and worse to back up requests, rather than gut feeling, chat in the street and near misses, some significant. When the school was to be built for example, countless meetings between the Town Council, Highways Engineers, Education Department and town planners took place, ultimately leading to the Town Council accepting the current arrangement which was the best achieved at the time, but knew would be questioned in years to come.

The Council received notice of the petition on the agenda today from residents of Bentham. It also received a significant number of letters from the primary school pupils detailing their concerns about speeding. Our local Bentham News is regularly full of the topic. In response to this we commissioned 5 sites to be surveyed. These were chosen by Council with a view to being suitable for 20mph limits to be implemented. The criteria being that of a mean speed of 24mph or less. These were duly surveyed and the results presented in your paper. It’s interesting to note that the same data was presented to Bentham Town Council, but recommends that 4 out of the 5 are not suited. Hopefully the recommendations of your officers suggesting potentially 4 out of 5 sites are suitable can be upheld today.

North Yorkshire seems to be a bit of an outlier in response to road safety, whether it be that of 20mph zones, improved pedestrian safety or enforcement. As we move towards nippy practically silent electric vehicles, an increasingly vulnerable population of increasing numbers, we need policy and improvements to reflect that and not of infrequent clattery, steady away Austin 7s and Model T Fords.

Bentham Town Council has put a small amount of money in its precept for next year hopefully to use for items such as vehicle activated signs or more surveys if that’s what is needed. But we really look to you endorsing this petition and working outward (not inward) with where we drill the holes for the posts for the 20mph roundels.

Many thanks for your time.

The Chair called upon Kevin Watt to introduce the petition as it’s co-organiser. The following key points were raised during the presentation of the petition.

·        Mr Watt was pleased that Officers had recommended 20mph speed limits on a number of streets, but highlighted that many had been left out. In particular Station Road, Burton Road, Robin Lane and outside the primary school, where there are narrow pavements, no pavements, residential care facilities or children.

·        There is significant support for a 20mph speed limit within the community.

·        Mr Watt highlighted situations where he had been forced to walk on the road. He informed Members of a teenager that was severely injured by a vehicle. He also raised that individuals had failed their driving tests for travelling at 30mph as it was deemed unsafe.

·        Members were informed of the results of a survey where children at the school said, unprompted, that one of their main concerns was the speed of cars. Parents who signed the petition say that the walk to school makes them feel anxious and is unpleasant. Children should take priority.

·        Information on successes in Wales and Calderdale were raised. This included a reduction in deaths and serious injuries, savings for the NHS and levels of public support.

·        Mr Watt requested that the item be deferred until after he had the opportunity to present a detailed map highlighting roads that should, in his view, have a 20mph speed limit.

Darren Griffiths provided the below clarification on a number of points.

·        Regarding the discrepancy seen in the report and that received by the Parish Council, it was clarified that the latter was a draft response, and the former the final one.

·        Regarding a 20mph zone outside the school, Members were informed that this requires further investigation, but is certainly not ruled out yet.

·        Robin Lane was not agreed as the speeds are high in this location, meaning that physical traffic calming measures would be required outside of people’s houses – something that was deemed to be unpopular. During the discussion, some Members suggested that decisions regarding safety should not come down to their popularity.

The Chair outlined the options available to Members and the recommendations outlined in the report. During the discussion, the following key areas were discussed.

·        Members were supportive of the petition and the recommendation included in the report, but asked that the road outside the school be included. There was strong support for the road outside the school having a 20mph speed limit.

·        There was a discussion regarding a potential housing development near the school and the opportunities that this might bring to reduce the speed limit.

·        It was raised that when people feel unsafe, it has an impact on their quality of life. Investigations shouldn’t only consider deaths and injuries, but also comments from local people.

·        Members were not supportive of a blanket 20mph speed limit and suggested that speed limits should be set dependent on the safety of the road in question. Some felt that there should be a blanket 20mph speed limit outside schools.

·        Members thanked the petition organisers and Bentham Town Council for their work on this matter.

Resolved

a)     That the Committee support the petition and recommend that Officers proceed to consultation on the introduction of 20mph speed limits as set out in the report.

b)     That Officers continue to investigate the area outside the school with the intention of introducing a 20mph speed limit.

c)     That details on the programme of 20mph reviews across North Yorkshire are circulated.