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What possible evidence can the council actually provide to demonstrate that road safety would be improved by this policy? There have been permanent road side memorials for years in Ireland and on the continent with no related reduction in road safety. I actually believe that a road side memorial to a tragedy is in itself an effective road safety feature. It is a constant reminder to all road users that some accidents do unfortunately lead to tragic consequences. If the council wishes to go ahead with these somewhat arbitrary proposals then there should also be a clamp down on non-essential road side signs that do actually distract drivers and lead to a reduction in road safety. The following signs are frequently encountered on Derbyshire's roads at the road side: For Sale, Sold signs; signs advertising village events; signs leading to housing developments; builders/decorator/plumber at work signs; signs advertising school open days; caravan parks; even road safety signs themselves (such as Think Bike). Another consequence of this policy is that to ensure that there is no discrimination then all permanent road side memorials must be removed - whether they are for road traffic accident victims or not. Even those that have stood at the road side for years. There is a possibility that this policy could fall foul of the Human Rights Act. The Council is expected to "respect family life/privacy". It is possible that they may illegally be interfering with a family's right to grieve. What has been disappointing about this consultation is that the council did not even propose a suitable permanent memorial. I would suggest that a garden based at Constabulary HQ in Ripley for all those that have died tragically in Derbyshire may be appropriate. Lancashire County Council set up such a permanent memorial. Another alternative is to allow small/discrete permanent memorials as suggested by RoadPeace (www.roadpeace.org) a charity dealing specifically with the victims of road accidents. Unfortunately these proposals come from a County Council that has spent the last 25 years refusing 30 mph speed limits for many villages. It has only belatedly been forced to do so by the Government. So this hardly endorses the view that the Council is being driven by a great desire to promote road safety. |