Road safety questions
There have been various calls in recent days for more action regarding road safety in and around the village.
This note is to summarise responsibilities and recent initiatives:
Responsibilities
Road safety is primarily the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council (as the highways authority) and the police.
The County Council determine speed limits, and physical measures such as speed humps and chicanes. The police are responsible for enforcement of speed limits, vehicle safety, etc.
Whilst the Parish Council can seek to raise awareness and lobby, and in some cases provide funding to other authorities, it does not have powers to set speed limits, ban lorries, install speed humps, etc.
Road safety is a key issue for the Parish Council, and an area where a lot of effort has been expended.
What happened to the traffic lights that were promised for the A19?
The Parish Council has been pushing to make the A19 through the village safer for pedestrians, and vehicles exiting Skipwith Road and other side roads.
Highways’ standards limit the options available, but in 2019 the County Council agreed that it would be feasible and desirable to install a traffic light controlled junction at Skipwith Road.
However, they would need the Parish Council to fund the installation cost of the scheme.
The Parish Council consulted residents, and there was overwhelming support for the Parish Council to borrow the money and fund this.
Unfortunately, the County Council then changed their mind, and wanted not only the installation cost of the scheme funding, but the full life cost and risk on any overspend, which took the scheme beyond what the Parish Council could feasibly borrow.
The Parish Council pushed back on this position unsuccessfully, but after much effort concluded there was no realistic prospect of this scheme going ahead, and efforts were better focused on other initiatives. The Parish Council has subsequently approached City of York Council about installing a pedestrian crossing near the new bus stops.
See the dedicated A19 improvements page on the Parish Council website for a more detailed history.
What is being done about speeding in the Parish?
At the request of the Parish Council and others, speed monitoring has been undertaken at various locations in the Parish. Results have found evidence of speeding problem on Skipwith Rd but did not find evidence of a significant problem along Carr Lane, nor on the A19 through the village.
Skipwith Road and the A19 are now designated sites for the police camera van. Statistics regarding the number of deployments and offences caught are on the Parish Council website.
A community speedwatch scheme was established in 2017, focused on the A19. This had to be discontinued when this was made into a police camera van location (as the police do not allow the same locations to have both camera vans and community schemes).
In 2019 the Parish Council purchased a vehicle activated speed sign for Skipwith Road. Speed stats for the sign can be found on the Parish Council website. This is alternated between periods facing north and south.
The speed sign includes a speed logger for every passing vehicle, and the data from this logger has been used to justify the need for a 'village gateway' at the southern entrance to the village on Skipwith Road. Installation is expected in 2021.
For 2021/2022 the Parish Council has made budget provision for installation of 'build-outs' on Skipwith Road (similar to Cawood), if these are deemed to be an appropriate solution. There are mixed views from residents regarding the desirability and effectiveness of these.
The Parish Council has requested that Carr Lane be included in North Yorkshire County Council's scheme for 20mph zones near schools. The request is pending review by NYCC.
Specific speeding concerns can be reported on the North Yorkshire police website.
Why are large lorries allowed to ignore the 7.5T limit on Skipwith Road?
There is a 7.5T environmental weight limit on Skipwith road, but environmental weight limits do not apply to vehicles accessing premises within the 7.5T restriction area (which runs down to North Duffield).
The Parish Council raised concerns with North Yorkshire police that some vehicles may be using the route as a cut-through, not for access. The Police undertook spot checks in late 2020 and all vehicles stopped were found to have a legitimate reason to be within the 7.5T restriction area.
The size of some agricultural vehicles is excessive and dangerous
Central Government are responsible for setting standards for vehicle design and maximum sizes. The MP is elected to represent local interests with central Government policy.
What can be done about inconsiderate and dangerous parking?
Responsibility for parking enforcement depends upon the circumstances:
- As Selby District Council has adopted 'Civil Parking Enforcement' most enforcement of parking restrictions is the responsibility of Selby District Council. This includes parking on double yellow lines, school 'keep clear' markings and blocking dropped kerb driveways.
- Parking in another dangerous position or causing an obstruction to the highway itself requires police enforcement. (For example blocking the road, parking close to a junction, parking where there are double white centre-lines, etc)
Responsibility for considering requests for new parking restrictions, such as double yellow lines, resides with the Highways Authority at North Yorkshire County Council.
Parking on pavements is a more complex area, and in practice enforcement is difficult. Central Government are looking at legislative changes in this area.
More detail is on the Parish Council website.