FRUSTRATED councillors have been left flummoxed by plans to rejig speed limits on a main road.
The A67 Bowes Road through Startforth is to have its 30mph limit extended by moving further west up the bank by Durham County Council. However, the 30mph extension will not reach all the junctions in that area, meaning that they will still be in a 40mph zone.
On hearing the authority’s plans for a second time, members of Barnard Castle Town Council’s planning committee had misgivings.
Cllr John Blissett said: “My reservations are still there – to increase it in that area would only make it worse.
“I feel with so many road junctions, even with the proposed road island, it’s not going to work.
“An island is not going to do anything to enhance that because if you have something going down at 40mph it won’t matter.”
Cllr Kelly Blissett thought the problem would only get worse with turning works traffic.
“They are building in front of the prison as well as the site at the back,” she said.
“When we were kids we had to run across that road just in case – it was safer to run and risk tripping than walking.”
A statement from Durham County Council explained how the road would be widened on the stretch to allow a central traffic island and a “gateway feature” to be installed.
But bad memories of the Galgate gateway scheme in Barnard Castle hadn’t faded with some councillors.
Cllr John Blissett added: “I think it was £80,000 well spent – not.” Cllr George Hallimond said the entrance gates had “cost a fortune for nothing” and were “falling apart” .
Meanwhile, clerk Michael King thought the plan lacked clarity. He said: “What’s not clear from the plan is that it does not match the description that’s been provided.
Cllr John Blissett added: “They do all these things along there and what have they done outside Teesdale School? – nothing.”
Members agreed to repeat their objection to the proposal.
