“20 is plenty for safer streets” say Oldham Liberal Democrats

“20 is plenty for safer streets” say Oldham Liberal Democrats

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Opposition have tabled proposals for safer residential streets across Oldham in a Full Council meeting later this month.  The Liberal Democrat motion calls for a roll-out of 20mph zones on the Borough’s residential roads. 

Saddleworth West and Lees representative councillor Mark Kenyon, who will move the motion on December 13th said, “More than half of all accident casualties occur on roads with 30mph limits.  A pedestrian is seven times more likely to die if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at 30mph than they are at 20mph.  And it is the elderly and young who are most at risk.”

Shaw Liberal Democrat councillor Hazel Gloster said, “Safer communities is a top priority for our residents.  People want to see the Council take action to make it safer to get about.  It’s about getting the basics right.”

The Liberal Democrats have consistently backed campaigns aimed at improving road safety, most notably with the “20 is Plenty” campaign for reduced speed limits on residential streets. 

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader and Leader of Oldham Council’s main opposition group councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Speed limits are just one tool available to the Council.  We also want to see more speed cameras, and preferably ones that actually work.  The minority of people who make our streets unsafe should be prosecuted.”

“We have brought motions to Council in the past and we have asked numerous questions of every Council Leader we’ve had over the last few years.  It shouldn’t take serious incidents or even fatalities before the Council’s Leadership starts to listen.  Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for safer streets until meaningful action is taken.”

Rain rain go away

Image shows sever flooding on a park.

After heavy rainfall, a small park in the Shawside area turned into a pond. This meant the area was unusable and children couldn’t play on the equipment. This isn’t the first time this issue has occurred and after speaking with a resident, it happens quite often after periods of heavy rainfall. Knowing this is a popular spot for local children and especially dog walkers, I contacted the council to ask for their help. They sent a team out to clear the standing water and everything was fine, until it happened again. I reached out again and this time, the team cleared the water and also used equipment to clear the blocked drain on the park which was causing the flooding. This issue seems to have been resolved as the flooding hasn’t occurred since. It’s something I will keep a close eye on, especially in the winter months when icy conditions only make things worse.