Traffic calming measures approved after collisions

Traffic calming measures are to be introduced on two roads in Kirklees in response to concerns over collisions and injuries.

Speed cushions and raised road features will be installed on Sunny Bank Road in Mirfield and on Commercial Road in Skelmanthorpe.

The measures, which were approved on Wednesday by Kirklees Council's Cabinet Committee for Local Issues, were intended to reduce the number and severity of collisions and casualties in the two areas, councillors were told.

Both schemes will be funded through the government's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, which provides funding for transport improvements.

Police data showed seven personal injury collisions on Sunny Bank Road in Mirfield between 2020-25, resulting in nine casualties, five of whom suffered serious injuries, a council report stated.

Inappropriate vehicle speeds appeared to have been a contributing factor, with most collisions happening at, or close to, junctions along the road, the report said.

The incidents involved vehicles emerging from side roads into gaps in passing traffic, and councillors were told that speeds on the main road may have contributed to drivers misjudging those gaps.

Speed cushions and tapered road humps would be introduced on the road to address the issue, councillors heard.

One resident objected to the plans, raising concerns about access and whether the measures represented value for money.

But council officers responded to those concerns before the committee decided to proceed with the scheme, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Meanwhile, councillors were told that seven casualties had been recorded on Commercial Road in Skelmanthorpe between 2019-24, with four people having suffered serious injuries.

The council report said speeding traffic and difficulties judging the path or speed of other road users were factors in the incidents.

The scheme for the road would include speed cushions and tapered, free-draining humps or a raised plateau.

Two objections were made, including concerns about air and noise pollution, with one resident also suggesting cameras should be used instead of the proposed measures.

However, three members of the public submitted messages in support of the scheme.

The committee ultimately approved the plans as proposed.

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