ONLY five Barnsley ‘danger roads’ put forward for immediate safety work to allay concerns from campaign groups have been selected out of 47 suggestions from councillors, the Chronicle can reveal.
A £90,000 ‘one-off’ investment was approved by Barnsley Council to be used for preventative measures - but according to a document set to be discussed by a scrutiny panel next week, the schemes put forward would cost more than £500,000 to deliver.
Issues such as speeding near schools - which prompted calls for more 20mph limits - were put forward, as were improved highways maintenance schemes and traffic regulation orders (TROs) to prevent inconsiderate parking.
However, the document reveals five suggestions will be carried forward at a cost of the pre-agreed £90,000.
The Chronicle can reveal refuge islands on Pontefract Road, Hoyle Mill, and on Hough Lane and Park Street, both Wombwell, will be constructed, as will a new footway on Shaw Lane, Cudworth and improved crossing on Sheffield Road, Penistone.
“The detailed investigation of members’ suggestions was completed in December 2021,” the report said.
“This resulted in the top five, highest-rated suggestions being selected for detailed design stage.
“The design of those is now complete, and works orders have been issued for construction stage.
“In the 2020 calendar year, there were a total of 444 casualties on the network, a reduction of 19.9 per cent when compared with 2019.
“Provisional data for 2021 shows there were four fatalities on Barnsley roads that year, and there have been zero child fatalities for both 2020 and 2021.
“The council’s traffic group was affected by high levels of staff turnover during summer 2021, which resulted in delays to the delivery of this programme.
“Those issues have been resolved and these have been sent to the highway department’s delivery team for programming and construction in 2022/23.”
However, the council reiterated its stance on boosting safety around schools in the borough following pressure from councillors and MPs.
More 20mph signage has been installed at primary schools put forward - Dearne Carrgate, Millhouse, Oakhill and Goldthorpe - with just Highgate awaiting completion in the coming weeks.
According to the council, a pre-work speed survey was undertaken at each site to understand the existing speeds before the installation of the signs, while post-work studies will be carried out at the start of the new school year in September.
“Work is also ongoing to promote and recruit to the vacant school crossing patrol vacancies which exist across various sites,” the report added.
“In Barnsley, the whole of the road network is reviewed annually and road safety audits are carried out.
“Where safety concerns are identified, based on the evidence from the personal injury collisions, the council can introduce measures to improve road safety.
“Road traffic collisions that result in personal injury are analysed so that steps can be taken to reduce and prevent similar collisions.
“Following the approval of the 2022/23 highway capital maintenance programme earlier this year, additional funding has been secured to expand the successful 20mph school safety zone pilot.
“The expansion will see the areas of highway outside all primary schools in Barnsley undergo a safety assessment, the findings of which will be used to inform a programme of interventions aimed at making the areas outside schools safer.”
