A SITE meeting will be held in the near future to discuss placing a speed limit on the Settle to Stainforth road after ninety local residents signed a petition calling for restrictions.

Langcliffe Parish Council took on the task of arranging the site meeting on behalf of residents who are fed up with dodging cars, wagons and motorcycles travelling at high speeds along the B6479 Settle to Stainforth road.

Parish councillor Chris Ellis told the Herald the matter was a long-running concern with residents becoming more and more worried about speeding.

Coun Ellis added there was a strong feeling in Langcliffe that action was needed to curb speeding drivers.

He said: "The attitude always seems to be if there have not been accidents or deaths on the road, there's not enough to warrant speed restrictions."

A petition was launched, and organiser and postmistress Veronica Meredith said: "The petition started in the post office in November. There was quite a conversation and someone said how terrible the situation was and how something needed to be done."

She said the main concerns of villagers were that there were no footpaths on either side of the road. "The visibility out of the junctions from the village onto the road is also bad," she added.

"It's a worry with the schoolchildren from Stainforth because there's a rule on the school bus that if there's no seat they cannot catch the bus. This doesn't happen very often but when it does they have to walk along the road.

"People are always complaining about the state of the road but nothing is ever done about it. Traffic is travelling faster than it used to be and I personally consider it more of a problem now than it was 15 years ago. We would like to see at least a 40mph limit between Bowerley Hotel and the paper mill."

She added that no one was blaming the high speeds on wagons alone. Other culprits included those making familiar journeys and also motor-cyclists.

Parish councillors said similar requests had been unsuccessful before, but agreed to forward the petition and a supporting letter to the highway executive at North Yorkshire County Council.

Highways are now liaising with North Yorkshire Police's Western Area Traffic Manager Steve Ball to arrange a site meeting in the near future.

* Langcliffe Parish Council has pointed out that an article in the Herald last week expressing regret at the lack of a police presence for a site meeting was not directed at the local police who regularly attended parish meetings.

Members were originally disappointed that they could not organise a site meeting earlier due to confusion over who to contact in the police's traffic department.

Any queries over traffic management should be directed to Mr Bell, who can be contacted by ringing 01423 539444.

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