County councillor 'disappointed' with petition calling to reverse flow of traffic in Swingate

A petition has been put forward to Nottinghamshire Council calling for changes to the current road system, which sees only one way in and out Swingate from Kimberley.

Residents of Swingate say “life and death could be in the balance" amid fears a single obstruction to the road could block access to the village for emergency services and are calling for a one-way system to be reversed.

However, Coun Philip Owen, council member for Nuthall and Kimberley, said changes would make the road ‘less safe’.

He said: “I find this petition particularly disappointing as about 18 months ago I facilitated a site meeting between members of the Kimberley Town Council and representatives from the county council's highways department, including the road safety team.

“As a result of that meeting a feasibility study was commissioned which looked into the possibilities of doing just what is said in the petition.

“In addition, I requested further work be carried out to look at the possibilities of relocating the pedestrian crossings on Main Street to see if that could help traffic flow.

“The results of that detailed feasibility study were shared with the town council of which the petition organiser is a member.

“The Highways Safety section of the Highways Department concluded that to reverse the flow of traffic would be dangerous and was something that they would therefore oppose on road safety grounds.

“"While that was not the outcome we were all hoping for nevertheless, it was one I felt everyone accepted, albeit reluctantly, as there was no way anyone would surely wish to support the introduction of a scheme that would make the situation more dangerous.

“There would be no way in which any committee or now a cabinet member of the county council would approve a scheme that would make a road less safe.

“There has been considerable work carried out on Swingate to improve road safety including the introduction of traffic regulation orders to protect junctions in the vicinity of Kimberley Primary School plus the introduction of a school crossing patrol.

“Any petition presented to the county council has to be presented by me as the councillor for Kimberley.

"While I will do that, I have to advise that the response will be exactly the same, because no responsible council is going to implement a course of action that will knowingly increase the dangers to its residents.”