Row over road safety funds
GREEN Party councillors have criticised 'dangerous' Liberal Democrat plans to hand out road safety funds across the city instead of focusing on accident blackspots.
The council has decided to allocate 275,000 to each Community Assembly to spend on highways in 2010/11. It means Dore and Totley ward, where 15 pedestrians were involved in accidents in the last five years, will receive the same funding as Central ward, where 346 were injured or killed.
Green councillor Bernard Little said: "The Liberal Democrats are putting political ideology ahead of people's safety and that is very wrong."
He added: "We support local decision-making but splitting the highways budget in this way is clearly a mistake. Common sense says there are fewer traffic problems in rural areas and accident numbers show this."
Coun Ian Auckland, Lib Dem Cabinet member for transport, said: "The Community Assembly transport money can be spent on all sorts of things from zebra crossings to hand rails but it does still include road safety projects.
"However, it hasn't got a badge on it saying it must be spent on road safety so we don't feel we need to allocate it in line with accident statistics. We have other funding available for road safety projects which is decided on a worst-first basis."
BUY ONLINE: The Sheffield Telegraph and Property Guide are now out every Thursday. To sign up on line click here.
MORE:
Local News
Local Sport
Arts Guide
Community News
Listings Guide
Restaurant Guide
Letters
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
