Public's views sought on Niffany Corner safety barriers (From Craven Herald)

Public's views sought on Niffany Corner safety barriers

8:40am Thursday 18th March 2010 in

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Questionnaires are dropping through letterboxes seeking support for safety barriers at a canal blackspot where three teenage girls have died.

Residents in Skipton, Gargrave, Embsay and Carleton have until Tuesday April 6 to respond to the Skipton Service Transportation Strategy, which includes a £260,000 plan for extra safeguards at Niffany Corner alongside the Leeds Liverpool Canal on Broughton Road, Skipton.

Eighteen-year-old Charlotte Wade, from Gargrave, died there last May after her car crashed through decorative railings yards from where Skipton girls Sarah Woolmer, 19 and Larrisa Moore, 18, lost their lives in almost identical circumstances almost a year before.

There are rival schemes in the strategy, but the Wade family are hoping for widespread backing for the barriers.

Speaking about the questionnaire, executive member for North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department Coun John Fort said: “This is a way of addressing local needs and reflecting local concerns by involving everyone in the local community. Funds have been specifically identified for the implementation of schemes in the Skipton area.

“Among the proposals are traffic calming measures, improvements to junctions, improvements to public transport infrastructure and additional facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.

“Following two fatal collisions in recent years, we are seeking the public’s views about a scheme that would provide a safety barrier between the road and the canal on the A6069 near Niffany Farm.”