THE PEOPLE of Pool in Wharfedale turned out in force to discuss their road safety concerns with council officers last week.

Around 33 people turned up at the Methodist Rooms to ask what could be done to tackle everything from speeding on Arthington Lane to the number of HGVs passing through the village.

The meeting was also attended by Pool Parish Council Chairman Hazel Lee, Leeds City Council highways chief Paul Markham, and Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Leeds North West, George Lee.

Councillor Barry Anderson (Con, Adel and Wharfedale) chaired the event.

He said: "The meeting was a success and I was pleased at the number of people who turned up and the comments I received from residents.

"A lot of things came out of it so now let's hope that the council does actually deliver on the promises they made.

"We were told that the final traffic calming 'gateway', measures in Pool, which will consist of high visibility 30mph road markings down Main Street to the garage, would be completed by the end of this month.

"The highways officers also told us they would be investigating the speeding problems we have in Arthington Lane to see if anything can be done to tackle it.

"They are also going to see if there can be clearer markings on the roundabout outside the White Hart on Main Street. And I raised the issue that HGVs couldn't pass by each other on Main Street, even if they were travelling at just 1mph, without one of them mounting the pavement - that is a real concern."

The meeting heard that the city council is carrying out a general study of HGV movements across the north of Leeds, stretching from Otley to Wetherby, to find out if better routes could be used or weight restrictions introduced.

Safe journeys to school for pupils also emerged as a key topic, and Coun Anderson said he welcomed the fact that a parents-organised 'walking bus' scheme was already in the pipeline.

Pool Parish Council Chairman Hazel Lee, however, said she had some concerns about the initiative.

"The walking bus is an excellent idea but my worry is that the pavements in Pool aren't wide enough to cope," she said.

"I was very positive about the meeting, though, and I said 'hallelujah' when the officers confirmed the traffic calming work would be finished this month because it's been dragging on for nearly two years.

"It's also good news that we'll be getting speed checks on Arthington Lane and we had four people volunteer to be trained in how to operate SID (a Speed