Peter Grasby resigns over speeding fears in Tadcaster area

Peter Grasby, formerly of Tadcaster Town Council, left his position a few weeks ago as he felt that the speeding problem in the town was being ignored.

During his time with the council, Peter said he was tasked with pinpointing locations where vehicle activated signs (VAS) could be placed around Tadcaster to help reduce the speeding problem.

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Mr Grasby said the worst areas for speeding in Tadcaster are York Road, Wighill Lane and Leeds Road, according to data obtained from North Yorkshire Police.

Mr Grasby, a former paramedic with the NHS, said: "I have seen first-hand the devastation that speeding can cause. It's a really serious problem.

"Public safety has been the last consideration - and this is paramount to me. I felt so strongly on it that I resigned.

"It's absolute madness, we can't just wait around until accidents happen."

He said six signs are needed in the town "as a matter of pubic safety and urgency". But, Tadcaster Town Council recently confirmed it has agreed in principle to purchase two signs.

York Road in Tadcaster, one of the areas highlights for speeding (Image: Google Street View)

A spokesperson for the council said: "We share Peter Grasby’s concerns with speeding in the town. Each of the entry points to Tadcaster faces challenges with speeding and this is something that has been raised with us by a number of residents.

"The council is taking proactive measures to deal with the issue and support the community - and has agreed in principle to pursue the purchase of two VAS signs. These signs act as a great deterrent for speeding in built up areas.

"In addition to this, we are working with our local Neighbourhood Police Officer to establish Tadcaster’s own Community Speedwatch Group. We hope to complete the training and have this in place by September this year.

"Whilst public safety must always come first, the town council has a duty to ensure any public spend is within their statutory power and that they are complying with Local Government Act 1972.

"We acknowledge that there has been a delay in the process of finalising the purchase of the VAS units. This has been the result of the town council receiving conflicting advice from North Yorkshire Council and the Yorkshire Local Councils Association as to whether proof of accidents caused as the direct result of speeding was required before we could exercise our right to spend the required amount on the signs.

"We have since received further advice that such proof is not required and voted at July’s council meeting to proceed on that basis. This appears to be a case where the law has not kept pace with technology, and the chairman of the town council raised his concerns over this issue with Keir Mather MP."

Mr Grasby said he has fought "tooth and nail" with the council over the speeding problem - and he said councillors need to live up to one of their "key responsibilities".