Julian joins with residents to lower speed limit in Deighton
January 7, 2013
On Monday 19th November, Julian met with residents in the village of Deighton to discuss with them their bid to achieve a 40mph speed limit on the A19 as it passes the village.
Julian and Cllr George Barton have pledged their support for the Deighton residents’ campaign to lower the speed limit, which is currently 60mph. Following a fatality on the A19 in Deighton earlier this year and a spate of other accidents, residents have worked together to assemble two petitions in favour of the 40mph limit.
The first petition achieved 86% support from the village in favour of the 40mph limit. This was submitted to the City of York Council along with 54 ‘Speed Limit Request’ forms. However, the Council responded by offering a 50mph limit. This offer was put to the villagers again in the form of another petition, which received 96.2% majority for rejecting the 50mph limit in favour of the original 40mph.
Julian said:
“It is frankly unfathomable that the Council could reject this directly democratic action in favour of the 40 mph speed limit from the residents of Deighton. I would urge the Council to listen very carefully to the people they are supposed to represent.”
“It was a real pleasure to meet with residents from Deighton, to look over their petition and to discuss with them the ways in which together we can achieve greater safety for both residents and road users on the A19. The level of support for a 40mph limit within the community is vast and the large number of residents who turned out this morning shows how important this issue is to the village of Deighton. I have already made written representations to the Council but I will be continuing to work on behalf of my constituents in Deighton to ensure that an acceptable solution to this problem is found.”
Julian’s meeting with residents precedes the Decision Making Meeting at 4.30pm today (19th November) in the Guildhall. The meeting, which is normally held in private, has been opened up to members of the public by Councillor Dave Merrett, due to the strong feeling on the matter.
Councillor George Barton, among others, will be speaking at the meeting in support of the 40mph limit. He will cite recent accidents on the Deighton stretch of the A19 as evidence that the residents’ safety concerns are legitimate.
