Letters
| Jul 2010 Dear BN, Please can I correct a number of points that appeared in the June edition where I reported local Fire and Rescue activities to the PC. Firstly the position held by myself is that of Station Manager not Station Sergeant (perhaps a sign of things to come and the joining of forces between Fire and the Police in order to save money?) and secondly Cumbria does not have the lowest Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI’ s) figures in the country. In fact it has the unenviable record as one of the highest KSI rates per population head in the country! What was reported was that as an organisation Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service are continually working to reduce the figures through the work we do in schools, colleges and other areas where requested, joining up on the majority of occasions with our partners from the Police, Highways and Health to name just a few of those working together. This has delivered the lowest KSI County figures for many years, no doubt contributing to the lowest nationally since records began. I will now wear my genuinely concerned Burton resident’ s hat - I have lived in the village for 2 yrs and it does concern me that we have a speed limit through the centre of the village that is simply not safe. Main Street was not designed for the heavy vehicle use of the current day! With the narrow, none-existent pavements and a narrowing street it is only a matter of time before an accident involving a pedestrian occurs. I would like to see a 40mph section introduced at the turn off to Holme (the section that takes you over the M6) through to the current 30mph at Clawthorpe with a 20mph zone from Vicarage Drive junction through to Green Dragon Farm. The rationale for introducing the 40mph section is to gradually bring the motoring speed down from 60 - 30 in a section of road that is hazardous due to lack of pedestrian refuges/entrances and narrowing road. Once in the village and travelling at 20mph the difference in time taken to cover the distance is measured in seconds and should improve the safety of residents and visitors alike and if the findings of the 20 year 20mph study in London published in the British Medical Journal (Jan 10) is anything to go by - KSI’ s will be reduced by at least 40%. Google “ 20mph study in London” for the BMJ report. Regards, Callum Graham, Fern Bank, Main Street. |
