A BREAKTHROUGH has been made following a campaign to lower the speed limit where drivers have been recorded at up to 76mph near a school.
Campaigners on the busy A628 - which cuts through Penistone, Silkstone, Thurlstone and Millhouse Green - have demanded a series of safety measures.
A highways report outlines a raft of traffic regulation orders which are set to come into force in a bid to allay residents’ concerns, including an order to stop on-street parking at supposed danger spots and an extension of a 40mph limit.
A no waiting at any time order relates to a stretch through the centre of Silkstone from The Red Lion Inn, sections of Manchester Road in both Millhouse Green and Thurlstone, as well as the 40mph zone’s expansion, 69 metres further, along the A628 in Penistone.
However, 40 residents have lodged objections, criticising the plans for not doing enough to relieve concerns.
The report said: “The A628 is a major road connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire.
“Barnsley Council received a government grant to improve road safety, ease congestion and improve the free flow of traffic along the A628 within the borough boundary.
“Historically, the A628 through Penistone, Thurlstone and Millhouse has experienced congestion, delays, inconsiderate and obstructive parking leading to pinch-points and significant impacts on visibility at junctions and obstruction and inconvenience for pedestrians.
“The 40mph speed limit extension will provide more time for vehicles to reduce speed before negotiating the narrow bridge and allow for a high-visibility speed limit entry feature to be installed to highlight the speed limit and approaching narrow bridge.
“Introducing no waiting at any time restrictions will improve the free flow of traffic and improve visibility.
“Inconsiderate and obstructive parking will be prevented, and the footways will be kept clear for pedestrians and vulnerable people.( “Alternative proposals such as guardrails, bollards, traffic islands, pedestrian crossings or other engineering measures have been considered and ruled out as being too intrusive or obstructive to road users and pedestrians.”
The report into the A628 reveals the stretch was successfully put forward by the local authority for cash from the Safer Roads Fund, which focuses on reducing the risk of potential collisions, which secured £1.4m.
“This length of the A628 was ranked in the ‘high risk’ category of the nation’s roads,” it added. “This was based on reported killed or seriously injured collision records, potential road risk rating and traffic volumes.
“As expected, the collisions are typical for a single carriageway road and include single vehicle loss of control, head-on collisions and misjudged overtaking.
“These were distributed along the route with some small concentrations - the bend at Fulshaw Cross had a cluster of four reported injury collisions in the period.
“There were also urban types of collisions within the conurbations of Thurlstone and Penistone.
“The measures comprise conventional and proven collision remedial treatments, predominately a series of conventional road safety engineering measures which Barnsley Council has long experience in delivering.”
Coun Hannah Kitching, who represents Penistone West, told the Chronicle she is supportive of the measures.
“We’ve worked with the council’s highways department on this and although we’re not blind in seeing these TROs will cause issues for some residents - particularly those who currently park on the roads - something clearly had to be done.
“We sent letters the all affected homes to point them towards the consultation, then went through all objections to see how we could tweak the scheme.
“There will also be better signage, particularly at Flouch roundabout, to advise HGVs to use the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass instead as it’s a better route for larger vehicles.
“Concerns were raised about the removal of parked cars and a subsequent increase in vehicle speeds, so we will be monitoring that with mobile speed indicator devices.”
