New 20mph speed limit for Holmfirth 'should go further,' says objector

This comes as part of the Town Centre Access Plan

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Abigail Marlow Local Democracy Reporter

05:00, 30 MAR 2023

Victoria Street, Holmfirth, one of the town's main shopping streets (Image: Huddersfield Examiner)

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A 20mph speed limit will be introduced inHolmfirth’s town centre but ‘should go further’ according to an objector.

At the centre of theHolmfirth Blueprintlies the £7.47m Holmfirth Town Centre Access Plan (HTCAP). The major scheme is funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) as part of its Corridor Improvement Programme and is being delivered byKirklees Council.

An officer told today’s (March 29) meeting of the council’s Cabinet Committee that the HTCAP aims to support economic growth through investment in Holmfirth’s public realm. It aims to reduce congestion and improve access to the town by decreasing journey time by 12%.

He added that the scheme also hopes to encourage tourism and increase Holmfirth’s visual appeal, maintain the character of the conservation area, have a neutral impact on accidents and a positive impact on air quality.

This was said to be achievable through a number of measures including the widening of footways, converting existing zebra crossings to puffin crossings, adding charging points for electric vehicles and implementing a 20mph zone in the town centre. However, the 20mph zone won’t extend to the whole of Holmfirth town centre which was a point of contention for an objector.

An aerial view of Holmfirth town centre (Image: Getty)

Dr Stephen Dorril, a Senior Lecturer at Huddersfield University, attended the meeting to voice his opinion. He said: “I have no objection to 20mph. I think you should go further.

“Honley has just issued their report yesterday on the future of Honley and they’re calling for 10mph speed limits with speed bumps in the centre. The 20mph limit in Holmfirth is ridiculous because on one street you have both a 20 and a 30mph limit.”

He went on to explain the negative environmental impact caused by the 30mph area. The objector also disagreed with the proposal for puffin crossings and said that the council was putting cars first, rather than pedestrians and cyclists.

Earlier in the meeting, an officer explained that in order to achieve the 12% reduction target in journey time, the 20mph limit couldn’t extend to the whole of the town centre. On the matter of crossings, he said the current zebra crossings cause “significant congestion issues” with members of the public asking for this to be mitigated.

The committee unanimously voted in favour of the proposals going against the wishes of the objector.

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