Society is savaged for road suggestion

After the Gazette reported the civic society's recommendations to the highway authority last week, residents of Manor Park contacted the paper to express their reaction.

Instead of a new road being built to solve their traffic nightmare, residents of Manor Park could be given £5,000 each to create a turning circle in their front garden so they could drive in and out of their houses, said the civic society.

Together with traffic calming measures and new traffic islands, the whole scheme could be carried out for around £200,000, civic society members stated.

But in a letter to the Gazette, Manor Park resident John Traynier says: "I was incensed to read of the so-called Ilkley Civic Society's cretinous chatter. The negative and woefully incompetent advice being offered to Bradford Council is disgraceful and furthermore disloyal to the community they represent.

"The hazards due to traffic are high, the risks are high and have been modified a little by 'calming measures' but the risks, tensions and fears remain and for a so-called civic society to recommend tearing up our lawns, and to add insult to injury by offering pocket money as compensation, really is too much."

Mr Traynier says that his family had already suffered at the hands of incompetent drivers at Manor Park.

"While my wife was waiting to turn right into our drive, she was pushed along the road by a heavy lorry. On the second occasion a tractor pulling a spring tine machine scoured the side of a brand new car when attempting to squeeze between my car and the space left when I was waiting to turn," says Mr Traynier.

After meeting other residents, Mr Traynier told the Gazette that some would want at least £25,000 to concrete over their front gardens because they were possible building plots for the future.

Another Manor Park resident was also incensed by the civic society's proposals.

Roy Baguley says: "This latest proposal by the civic society is the last straw and is so idiotic that it cannot be taken seriously. Furthermore, who are they to make proposals which affect my property and my neighbours' properties?

"I will not turn my garden into a turning circle. A garden is there to grow flowers and have lovely green lawns as part of the countryside, giving pleasure to everyone. I would have thought the civic society was in business to support such amenities, rather than have them destroyed."

He adds: "The residents of Manor Park support the latest proposals of the Highways Agency. The sooner the new road is completed, the better it will be for all concerned. I suggest that Ilkley Civic Society concentrate on matters affecting Ilkley and leave Manor Park matters to the residents of Manor Park. Please keep off the Manor Park grass."

But c chairman Bob Tilley defended the Civic Society position: "We were just trying to suggest ways in which things could be done cheaper."

He added: "The whole idea was to point out there are ways of doing things, not at £2 million but at £200,000 to be reasonably safe."

But Mr Baguley argues that the civic society is ignorant of the traffic situation at Manor Park.

He says that the traffic calming measures on the road have been a complete waste of money and the current 30mph speed limit imposed by work to shore up the river bank was ignored by the majority of drivers.

He says: "They slow down only when the temporary traffic lights restrict them to one lane. As soon as they get through the lights they are away at high speed, still in the 30mph zone. When the lights are turned off it is Silverstone again."

Mr Tilley said that Manor Park residents may have to put up with traffic dangers for much longer than they would wish because it could be between five and ten years before the new road is built.

He also stated that the siting of bus stops on the Highways Agency plan would lead to increased traffic dangers for pedestrians.

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