PEOPLE in Pool in Wharfedale are being urged to come forward to join a delegation to Leeds City Council over issues with HGVs in their village.

Adel and Wharfedale councillor Barry Anderson has previously called for large lorries to be banned from Main Street and Arthington Lane.

He said:"Over the past few weeks more and more local residents have been raising concerns about the movement of HGVs throughout the village.”

Cllr Anderson met with a Leeds highways official last week along with representatives of the parish council, Cllrs Hazel Lee and Richard Parker, and the Chair of Governors at Pool School Joanne Pellow to discuss a number of road safety issues throughout the village.

He said: “One of things I have been in discussion with the Chair of Governors about is the possibility of taking a delegation of parents from the school to address Leeds City Council at the next Full Council meeting in January 2022.”

Cllr Anderson said: “I have tried through many discussions and over many months to facilitate getting an HGV ban through the village. This has not been possible. I asked at this meeting whether we could restrict HGV movements at certain times e.g. around school drop off and pick up times. The Engineer advised that the same requirements would have to be met in legal terms and again would include consultation with the haulage industry who would point out that there is no reason to restrict HGVs as there is no accident record.

“I asked if the kerb heights could be raised along Arthington Lane to delineate the pavement much better than it currently is. This might help HGVs to stay on the road and not mount the pavement as easily.”

He added: “The issue of HGV traffic and road safety in general has been an issue for as long as I have been the councillor for this area, and I’ve no doubt for years before that as well.”

Cllr Anderson welcomed the fact that the village would be getting a 20mph zone, and he said discussions were still ongoing in respect of a number of other issues and projects.

He added:"In respect of the HGVs so far nobody has come forward yet to volunteer to take on the idea of the delegation to Leeds City Council but I would appeal to residents to consider this and if they don’t want to do it themselves I am aware that a number of the other villages between here and Collingham and through to the A1 would be interested in joining a delegation that shows the impact all the way along the road.”

The latest increase in reportings came from a posting by the village school asking for parents to come forward with their experiences ahead of the meeting.

Cllr Anderson said:"This posting then led to a number of local HGV drivers approaching me to ask why the community was so determined to remove HGVs from their roads, as they felt that they were safe drivers, they understood the road conditions and also the extra costs that would be incurred and the loss of time incurred by re-routing would not be beneficial to the local economy.

He added:”There is no doubt that the HGV issue is a current problem but this problem will not diminish if the employment site at the airport is expanded and if the east of Otley development comes through to a conclusion plus the need for materials to be brought into the city to meet the needs of the development community.”

A response to Cllr Anderson from the Head of Transport Planning at the Council earlier this year said:”The HGV movement through Pool village is raised annually as an ongoing concerns and the Council has explored these concerns extensively as we appreciate the concerns of residents through the village that the HGV usage is not comfortable, particularly when walking.”

The reply says a number of surveys have been carried out on Main Street and Arthington Lane and the data showed the number of HGVs was relatively low for an A- classified route - and was a low percentage of the daily traffic flow on the A659.

“The actual number of heavy goods vehicles has remained fairly consistent over time, rather than increasing. For the council to consider any form of HGV restriction (in this case an environmental HGV restriction) the percentage of HGV using the route has to account for at least 10% of the daily traffic flow and we have to demonstrate that this HGV movement is having a detrimental effect on the area before we can considering a prohibition.”