Labour’s rural road policy plain wrong

I’m becoming increasing frustrated by the failure of County Labour to recognise the issues of speeding, rat-running and inappropriate HGV traffic in rural communities right across my county area and, probably, all Staffordshire.

It’s also wrong that where local parish councils have had the good sense to set funds aside to install traffic management measures, such as interactive speed warning signs, they are being prevented from doing so because of restrictive County Highways policy. I’ve got several areas where the local community have developed what are called Parish Plans and consultations have shown that worries about speeding traffic have been the main issue. I find it objectionable that Labour’s policy is not preventative but instead works on a points system which adds up the number of accidents and people killed and injured before anything is done about speeding problems. Stable doors, horses and bolted springs to mind! It’s even more outrageous that even when a parish want to fully fund a proactive approach, before anyone is hurt, they can’t.

What’s happened to democracy or empowerment as it is popularly called and the ’supposed’ principle of letting local people decide what their communities need? Well, John Wakefield, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, clearly hasn’t heard of it and hasn’t even answered recent e-mails from me on the subject of highways.

I’ll keep banging on about this wherever and however I can but I don’t hold out much hope of Labour being too bothered about rural problems. Oh well, yet something else for County Conservatives to deal with after the ‘09 election. The list is growing!!

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