I WOULD like to thank Kevan Mealor and the residents of Brookfold Lane for highlighting the problems caused by quarry traffic in the vicinity of St Brendan's School in the recent article "Call for road safety action on quarry road".
But while the story has successfully opened up a controversial issue to the public gaze, it really only scratches the surface of what could be far deeper problems for parents and children who use Brookfold Lane to access St Brendan's.
It is now becoming frequent practice for lorry drivers to mount the pavement as they attempt to exit out of Brookfold Lane and on to Hardy Mill Road at a point that has been designated as a school crossing. On several occasions, the lollipop lady has been forced to clear the pavement to make way for the lorries which, when fully laden, can weigh more than 20 tons.
I regularly see lorry drivers blatantly having a "blast" up and down Brookfold Lane at speeds well in excess of the 10mph limit. And there have been up to 30 of these vehicles blocking the lane at peak times.
The inference from the council spokeswoman that traffic calming measures will only be introduced when casualty numbers rise beyond a pre-determined level is extremely disturbing. What's the ratio? Two injured children to one new speed hump? Or does it take a fatality to get a reaction from the road safety policy makers? Accidents can be prevented, but a child killed by an HGV or car can't be cured.
The bottom line is that we need compromise rather than a "them and us" situation.
Mr C Murphy Heathfield Harwood Bolton
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