Wooldale traffic lights turned on after £130,000 dispute
Oct 14 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Wooldale traffic lights turned on after £130,000 dispute
A SEVEN-YEAR fight for a crossing on a village road is finally over.
Kirklees Council has spent £130,000 battling for the controversial traffic lights on New Mill Road in Wooldale.
And this week the crossing was finally turned on – two years after it was installed.
In 2003 residents asked Kirklees to install traffic lights on the road to help children get to Wooldale Junior School, Holmfirth High and Kirkroyds Infants.
Three years later the council decided to place the crossing outside the home of Robin and Angela Wray.
But six months later the couple won planning permission to install a driveway leading on to New Mill Road – straight on to the proposed site of the traffic lights. The Wrays had previously used a side access to their property.
Kirklees installed the crossing in 2008 but it was not activated because of the dispute with the couple, which has cost the council £130,000.
Last month the council’s Cabinet decided the crossing should be activated as soon as possible.
Kirklees workers removed the orange hoods and activated the traffic lights around 8am on Tuesday.
Mr Wray predicted yesterday that the crossing would make the road more dangerous.
“Statistics say that whenever a new crossing is put in there will be accidents,’’ he said. “It will be very sad if any accidents occur.”
Mr Wray criticised Kirklees for spending £130,000 on the dispute.
He said: “I’ve always thought this would be the outcome because they have the power and the finances. We certainly can’t afford to spend £130,000.”
Clr Nigel Patrick, who has campaigned for years for the crossing, was pleased to see it operating at last.
The Holme Valley South Conservative said: “It’s not before time. This has been a long drawn-out affair. It’s not a case of claiming victory or taking pleasure in this.
