Manorbier.com
Community Council Meeting outside Penuel Chapel - Monday 6th January
Meeting outside Penuel Chapel in connection with proposed footpath from Jameston to Manorbier School.
The meeting was delayed for a short while to see if Councillor Griffiths and Police Sergeant Miles would appear, as their input into the failure to provide a safe route to school would be crucial.
Mr Nicholas Ainger MP suggested that a short-term remedy such as an advisory speed sign similar to the one in Llanteg, ( a picture will be available soon ), may be the way forward. Mr Price, Highways Engineer with Pembrokeshire County Council, who described the signs as a "con" informed the meeting that Mr Huw Roberts, Director of Highways Pembrokeshire County Council was not in favour of such signs. When questioned on the legality and purpose of the signs Mr Ainger informed the meeting that the police would not agree to speed limit restrictions, that would not be complied with by the majority of road users, as they would then be unenforceable. Statistics taken after advisory signs, such as the one in Llanteg, had been positioned on the roadside, often showed the majority of road users were now observing the signs. This data justifies their introduction of compulsory speed limits, as the police would then be able to argue that the speed limit was enforceable with little manpower. Mr Wales informed those present that without the support of Pembrokeshire County Council the police would not endorse the introduction of speed limits.
Councillor Morgan said the bus company had been asked to alter the timetable but it could not be altered to suit the opening and closing times of the School.
Councillor Malcolm Calver felt that this section of road was dangerous for vehicles without the addition of mothers and toddlers walking along it. Mrs Greenhouse suggested that there were only 8 children from the Jameston area using the road. This led Councillor Calver to say there were alternative routes through the main village of Manorbier for the children from the other end of the village to use which were safer than the main road route to school from Jameston. He would not like to see the numbers of children using the route as the main criteria for a footpath but the roadside danger element. He then questioned Mr Price regarding what other footpaths had been created under the safe routes to school scheme. Mr Price informed the group of several including one in St Florence. Mr Ainger showed his surprise that a greater priority should have been given to a scheme in an area where both the volume and speed of the traffic using the road was less due to its quiet village location.
As a result of the fact no application had been made to Pembrokeshire County Council by Manorbier School for a specific scheme, no application had been made to the Welsh Office. Therefore no funding would now be possible under the safe routes to school budget until the financial year 2004/05. Mr Bill Phillips of South Norton Farm, one of the local donating landowners, remarked that money could be found quite easily by Pembrokeshire County Council for projects such as the Bluestone Project at Canaston Bridge, which did not even have planning permission.
Mr Wales requested clarification that the correct procedure was for the school to apply to Pembrokeshire County Council to have the project included in any application to the Welsh Office for projects proposed under the safe routes to school scheme. As the project could not be funded in the near future out of the safe routes to schools budget he proposed that other sources of funding such as Objective One be considered.
Mr Price took the names of the donating landowners during the course of the meeting as he had not as yet been provided with their names by the community council clerk. He was delighted that they had come forward to donate their land for the proposed project. The meeting closed with those present unanimously agreeing that this section of road was dangerous for children to walk to school along and as such should be given priority status.