Inside the Council: Councillor Colin Peel

Yes, we need speed reduction at certain times of day, so why not electronic, variable speed signs where they are needed?

Remember, the speed limit is the maximum speed and a good driver will always take account of the road conditions, the type of weather and the time of day. So, in a 30mph zone on a frosty, dark, school morning, you will be doing a lot less than 30 anyway, won’t you?

The money for the scheme is coming from the government and is available to put up the signs etc, but what about enforcement? I’m betting there is no extra cash to enforce these new speed limits, never mind the existing ones.

My common sense thinks the money would be better spent targeting areas of need, like accident black spots on Wakefield Road and Elland Road, and outside schools, like St Andrews on Lightcliffe Road. None of these will be in the 20mph zones and they all need urgent improvements. Let’s focus on the real problems and enforce the speed limits we already have today to save lives.

Yellow lines

Dan, the TRO man, emailed me last week to tell me it was our turn. TROs are the traffic regulation orders, the legal bit that needs to be done before any lines can be painted, so in the next few months we should see some lines getting painted, at last.

I have requested TROs for the parking outside the telephone exchange on Mill Lane to be moved to a side street, for yellow lines on Garden Road at the junction of Blackburn Road and yellow lines on Bradford Road by the Ritz where the clearway ends, and a few more. Can you think of any places where lines would help reduce congestion or make roads safer? Email me with ideas.

Parking blues

On-street parking charges for Brighouse reared their ugly head again. I was substituting on the Economy and Environment Panel when this subject came up.

Seems like the ruling party have run out of ideas and money, so they have decided that the good people shopping in Brighouse should bail them out.

I asked the head of E&E, what was in it for the people of Brighouse? He could not give me an answer.

I stated that under no circumstances were on-street parking charges acceptable to the people of Brighouse. What do you think?

The council also wants to sell off spare council car parks.

The only one in our area was described as Crowtrees Lane, Brighouse, they meant Rastrick of course.

The reason for selling off the car parks was due to the heavy expenses of the running them. The Crowtrees Lane car park costs £67 per year to run.

I offered to have a whip around in Rastrick to pay for these “heavy expenses”. Seriously, where would Rastrickians park, if not in that car park?