CAMPAIGNERS fighting against a proposed £4.3m gyratory system which would cut through a popular park have secured a crunch meeting with planning officials and urged affected residents to get involved.
The stretch of the A628 Dodworth Road, running from Town End roundabout to junction 37 of the M1, could receive a raft of remedial work which will see a part of Penny Pie Park go to make way for the new one-way gyratory if it’s approved by planning bosses.
So far almost 2,500 people have signed a petition which urges the council to re-think the plan.
Campaigner Peter Giles, of nearby Lancaster Street, has appealed to the hundreds of households affected to pledge their support to battling against the gyratory by attending the meeting at Barnsley Town Hall on October 15.
“I believe a lot of people are blissfully unaware, despite the attention campaigners have had, and the majority will only realise what’s happening when the park’s trees start to be felled and diggers turn up.
“The public consultation is an important step forward as although the gyratory will more than likely be approved, it’s a direct response of campaigners’ pressure and people power. If only a few turn up to that it won’t look good, so it really is a case of the more present the better as it shows the ill-feeling surrounding this planning application.”
Barnsley Council wants to divert town centre-bound traffic from the motorway around the new system from Broadway traffic lights, with vehicles coming out of town using the existing but improved Dodworth Road, which would be made one-way into a four-lane section past Horizon Community College.
The new road would bypass a section of Pogmoor Road and prohibit vehicles from the motorway turning right onto Broadway, with motorists having to go around the gyratory and back up Dodworth Road.
Research has been carried out which showed it took an average of ten minutes for vehicles to get from the M1 to town centre in 2000 at peak times - a journey time that’s almost trebled to 26 minutes in 2018.
A council spokesperson said: “In response to representations made by local councillors, a session has been arranged in Barnsley Town Hall, between 4pm and 7pm on October 15.
“It will be an opportunity for residents to speak with the council’s planning service about the application submitted by the council for the proposed A628 Dodworth Road/Broadway junction improvement scheme.
“A series of 15-minute time slots will be available, for up to 16 people at a time. Residents will need to book the slots in advance via telephone and they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
“In order to ensure that as many people as possible are able to attend, it is requested that only one person per household attends the session.”
Funding for the £4.3m scheme, which is expected to start in April 2019 and take a year to complete, will be jointly covered by the council, which has re-prioritised its highways department’s expenditure programme to enable the work, and Sheffield City Region’s investment fund which has provided £2.7m towards the project.
As well as reducing traffic, improving air quality plays a key role in the plan, according to the council.
The commuter route was designated as an air quality management area in 2005 and although ‘significant improvements’ have been made, it’s thought the current rate of congestion will jeopardise progress if action is not taken.
If you want to get involved with the consultation and book a slot at the event on October 15, call Lynsey Law at Barnsley Council on 772538.
