‘Car-share: Where will you put it?’

Jan 29 2008 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A FORMER councillor has blasted Kirklees Council for “another crackpot idea”.

Richard Wrigley is angry that car sharing lanes could be coming to busy roads in Huddersfield.

With schemes drawn up for routes that have already had a bus or a cycle lane introduced in recent years or which are single lane or have been reduced to single lane for pedestrian safety, the former Conservative councillor has a key question to ask: “Where are they going to put these lanes? There isn’t the room.”

Last week the council brought in a new transport policy which could see the high-occupancy lanes set up at Wakefield Road, Manchester Road, Leeds Road, Bradford Road, New Hey Road and Halifax Road.

Mr Wrigley believes this is impractical.

He said: “Manchester Road is only single lane each side. On other roads there are cycle lanes taking up part of the road. It’s another crackpot idea by Kirklees Council.

“What are we paying our road tax for if there are certain lanes we can’t go on? We should be getting a rebate.”

Mr Wrigley, who lives in Paddock, owns Machine Specific Safety in Meltham.

He was a Conservative councillor for Holme Valley North from 1992 to 1996. He is upset that last week’s motion had the support of the Tories, as well as Labour and the Lib Dems.