8:00pm Wednesday 16th September 2009
By Nazia Parveen
A ‘PLAGUE of speed bumps’ will hit Clitheroe if a county council road safety scheme gets the go ahead, according to residents and councillors.
A campaign has been launched after a Lancashire County Council scheme to improve road safety in two Clitheroe estates was deemed ‘excessive’ by people living in the area.
The scheme proposes to install up to 50 speed bumps and bus cushions in the Henthorn and Edisford estates.
David Butterworth, who lives in Fairfield Drive, said the construction of the humps was a pointless exercise.
He said: “These humps are traffic calming measures and should be put in area’s where they are many accidents which is just not the case where we live.
“Ironically, the streets where the traffic travels at high speeds like Edisford Road are not getting looked at but our residential streets where there is a very low traffic flow are getting speed bumps. It just doesn’t make sense.”
The proposals for the bumps cover an area between the junction of Eshton Terrace and Mitchell St, along the railway line to the end of Kemple View and then across to Edisford Road and back up to the junction with Thorn St.
The petition is being supported by local Liberal Democrat councillors.
Ward councillor Allan Knox, said: “For many years now we have been calling for traffic calming measures on both Henthorn and Edisford Road and we see no reason to change that, particularly when you look at accident statistics.
“But, amazingly speed bumps are also planned for roads such as Windermere Avenue, Ennerdale Road and Millthorne Avenue, plus a host more.
"Most of them see only residential traffic as people go to and from their homes, and we can see no reason for the speed bumps on these streets unless local residents have firm evidence based reasons for their need.”
The scheme also includes plans for a 20mph zone on the estates roads, however this will not include Edisford Road which will remain at 30mph.
The Lib Dem team has put together amendments to the plan, which they say will still improve road safety, but not involve humps on nearly every street.
The petition will be handed in before the end of the public consulation on October 1.
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