Features
South Yorkshire Road Safety Plans Imaginative and Innovite
Work inititated by villagers in Barnburgh and Harlington, to make their roads safer are among the best examples of imaginative and innovative ways to improve services in rural areas highlighted in Defra’s Rural Services Review.
The Review gives real life examples of how communities, businesses and local government are working in partnership to bring benefits to young people, public services, housing and older people.
Welcoming the publication of the Review, Barry Gardiner, Minister for Rural Affairs said:
'This publication is intended for everyone in rural areas, especially those who are working towards improving services in their communities. People have come up with many creative and imaginative ways to overcome barriers and deliver services to our national standards.
'By showcasing these success stories, we want to give everyone a better idea of how to engage with their service providers and achieve benefits for the community as a whole.'
Among many admirable local projects, Barry Gardiner praised the work of residents in the South Yorkshire villages of Barnburgh and Harlington
Here residents concerns about road safety are being turned into actions, making their villages safer places to live. The need to address the problem of speeding commuters using the villages as a short-cut are being turned into actions as part of a Parish Plan drawn up by the local Parish council in partnership with the Yorkshire Rural Community Council.
John Palmer, Parish Clerk, said:
'Although we’re not on a major road, new developments in the area have increased the amount of traffic coming through the villages. The Yorkshire Rural Community Council helped us organize a parish survey which showed that road safety and traffic speed were key concerns for residents. From those results, local people have worked with the parish council to turn that into the solutions in the Parish Plan. Road safety measures were high on the agenda and we’re now working with the Police and Doncaster Council to produce practical solutions.'
Work is about to commence on five stone signs, welcoming 'careful drivers' to the village. These were funded by the Rural Target Fund, which is administered by YRCC on behalf of Objective 1 and Defra.
Elsewhere, extra road markings are being introduced to encourage drivers to slow down and to highlight the change from the national speed limit to the 30mph zone operating in the villages. Other traffic calming measures are also being considered.
Visit the Barnburgh and Harlington Website
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