Councillors report on road safety

Mendip councillor, Sam Phripp (LibDem, Berkley Down) is seeking the views of local residents following more meetings regarding traffic safety near Hayesdown First School.

Cllr Phripp, a governor at Hayesdown, raised concerns some time ago having been contacted by many local residents about the speed of traffic on Wyville Road, as well as the dangerous situation in regard to parking. Cllr Phripp said, “Even before I got elected, I knew what a problem the traffic on Wyville Road is, I went to Hayesdown, and I live nearby. I was really happy that representatives from all sides were able to meet with me to discuss what could be done to solve the problem.”

Solutions for the perennial traffic issues included reopening the rear gate to Hayesdown First School, assessing whether Somerset Highways could do more to help, and sending targeted letters by the police to alert residents to the problems. Cllr Phripp added, “I’m not naive about this – I realise that this isn’t going to be solved overnight. However, in launching this survey, I hope that we’ll be able to find out if the changes have made an impact, what is and isn’t working, and what we should try next.”

Cllr Phripp, with help from his colleague, county councillor Alvin Horsfall will be carrying out a residents survey in the coming weeks, asking local people for their views. Cllr Horsfall said, “Too often politicians tell people what they should think, this survey is all about us asking them, getting a view of the situation and moving forward.”