New speed warning signs installed outside Barnsley school after long running campaign

A road safety campaigner has praised Barnsley Council after speed warning signs have been installed outside a school.
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The new 20mph advisory signs have been installed outside Oak Hill Primary School, which is on a busy 40mph dual carriageway.

John Evans of SAGA (Speed Awareness Group Barnsley), has been involved in a long running campaign for road safety measures on Doncaster Road, where speeding is a “major issue”.

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John Evans of SAGA and Councillor Andrew Gillis, leader of the Barnsley Independent Group,John Evans of SAGA and Councillor Andrew Gillis, leader of the Barnsley Independent Group,
John Evans of SAGA and Councillor Andrew Gillis, leader of the Barnsley Independent Group,
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Mr Evans, along with Councillor Andrew Gillis, leader of the Barnsley Independent Group, liaised with BMBC to have the signs installed, in the hopes wit will calm traffic at school pick up and drop off times.

Mr Evans said: “We very much appreciate the work Andrew has done in pursuing the idea of these 20mph signs.

“We’ve had good support from the officers, in particular Damon Brown, [networks manager,] who attended one of our meetings. He, along with Andrew, has put a lot of work in getting this through.

“Andrew has pursued the idea along with officers of the council. We are very pleased with all the support we’ve had from highways.

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“We’ve been in constant dialogue with Councillor Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport.”

Mr Evans added that the signs are the first of five to be installed outside primary schools in the borough, as part of a pilot scheme.

Lisa McCarthy, head of school at Oakhill Primary, said: “The wellbeing of our children and their families is paramount and we’re very pleased that the new signs have been installed.

“This is a great step forward in making the area safer for those who have to walk by and cross over a very busy road everyday.”

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Paul Castle, Service Director for Environment and Transport at Barnsley Council said: “It did take longer than we had anticipated, but we are happy that the speed signs on Doncaster Road have now been installed.

“We take road safety really seriously and we have also recently held a public consultation event to discuss active travel proposals for the area.

“We will continue to work on improving the safety of our roads across the borough, including Doncaster Road.”

Mr Evans now hopes to have average speed cameras installed on Doncaster Road, which coun Gillis says have been a big success in the Doncaster village of Hickleton leading to the A1.

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The speed camera on Doncaster Road opposite Ardsley Park was burned out by vandals in August 2020.

Work on a £2m active travel link scheme between Stairfoot Roundabout and Hollygrove Roundabout in Goldthorpe is set to begin this October.

Work will include widening footways along the A635, bus stop improvements, changes to junctions to give cyclists and pedestrians priority, and upgraded street lighting.

The work is earmarked for completion in March 2023.

SAGA has started a petition in the hopes of new crossings, signs, and average speed cameras on Doncaster Road to further calm traffic.

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Mr Evans added: “The primary objective is to get average speed cameras to the A1, to try and control speed.

“You can put as many signs up as you like, but people will speed anyway.”

SAGA meets every two months at Oaks Working Mens Club on Doncaster Road.

Their next meeting, which is open to the public, will take place on June 14 at 7pm.