Proposals to blanket Ilkley with speed bumps is disappointing - Yorkshire Post Letters

It was very dispiriting to read of the proposals to blanket Ilkley with hideous humps and a 20 mph speed limit (The YP, January 17), supported by the Town Council with the tired old anti-motorist sentiment to “encourage walking and cycling”.

Good to see that the local MP very sensibly opposes these measures which are a serious and unnecessary squandering of council taxpayers’ money.

There would be no need at all to introduce a 20 mph limit if there was adequate enforcement of the well-established 30 mph limit; without such monitoring the new proposal will achieve very little except to increase air pollution through vehicles needing to use a lower gear throughout the restricted area. It is also a recipe for more delays and congestion, especially at quieter times of day.

As for speed humps, this is the most appalling part of the proposals; these devices are very damaging to vehicle suspension systems (just ask taxi firms about broken springs), very uncomfortable for drivers and passengers with back problems and particularly impacting on emergency vehicle response times and horrific for patients in ambulances.

If this scheme goes ahead perhaps the Town Council will regret their support for this retrograde step when they find that visitor numbers have dropped away and businesses have suffered from reduced takings.

Just what is needed to add to all their current difficulties with excessive energy costs.