DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL ARE IGNORING ROAD SAFETY, WARNS BISHOP AUCKLAND MP
Helen has condemned Durham County Council’s failure to respond to local demand for improved road safety.
Helen has once again taken up the case of residents at Evenwood Gate, Bishop Auckland, by calling for a 40mph speed limit throughout the village, and she has also spoken in favour of parents’ requests for a zebra crossing outside Cockfield Primary School.
Helen first raised the issue of reducing the 60mph speed limit at Evenwood Gate in 2005 and shares the local communities’ frustration that Durham County Council continue to maintain it is ‘not practical’ and ‘impossible to enforce’ a 40mph zone through the village.
Helen said:
“The County Council’s handling of this problem has been totally unsatisfactory. They have failed to take account of vital factors at Evenwood Gate such as the frequency of accidents along a given stretch of road and the number of children who live within proximity to the village”.
Helen has written to Durham County Council and the Police, and urged them to reconsider the speed limit in light of the specific circumstances of Evenwood Gate.
Helen said:
“This is a campaign that has been running for some time and one that deserves a swift solution. Surely the length of the village is less important than the number of people who are likely to be injured?
In response to requests from parents in Cockfield, Helen has also visited the village to assess the need for a zebra crossing outside the Primary School.
In the interest of child safety, Helen agrees wholeheartedly with the parents’ request to build a zebra crossing outside Cockfield Primary and has written to the Council and the Police to express her support for the campaign.
Helen said:
“This is yet another disaster waiting to happen and I am appalled at the way Durham County Council have handled this.
“They [Durham County Council] appear totally insensitive to the needs of parents of and children, and are relying instead on bureaucratic excuses to explain their inaction. I am really worried that they don’t seem to care about my constituents’ welfare”.
