THE Ilkley Parish Poll was instigated by the Ilkley Road Safety Action Group (IRSAG) who have today given their reaction to the results.

In a statement IRSAG said: "We have come a long way from the Ilkley Town Council (ITC) meeting of 3 July this year when ITC had an opportunity to reflect on the results of the consultation process on the proposed 20mph speed limit for Ilkley, with associated road humps.

"That night, members of the public, observing, could scarcely believe our eyes and ears as the council, with Mayor Milner’s casting vote, voted to ignore the town’s very clear opposition to their ill-conceived and ill-thought-through plan to buy its way up Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s (BMDC’s) list of priorities for speed calming with an inducement of £87,500.

"Thus was born Ilkley Road Safety Action Group (IRSAG). The reaction of shock and astonishment once people realised how they had been first deceived – and then ignored – by ITC meant that our campaign snowballed rapidly.

"All along, the strongest flaw in the planned scheme was that Ilkley's monies were being diluted in a town-wide scheme that largely affected areas with few road safety concerns, thereby depriving the known road safety problem areas of any funding whatsoever, especially when it came to pedestrians in and around the town centre. Also, Bradford's share of the costs was, by its own admission, being pledged in preference to spending its funds on higher priority road safety elsewhere in the district.

"On Monday 23 October, we saw the result as Ilkley voters turned out in their thousands to express their views on the traffic-calming proposals. By an overwhelming majority, the existing proposals were rejected, as expected. A total of 4,148 voters turned out, or 34.7% of the electorate. This was a very large turnout, given the absence of postal votes which typically comprise around half of the votes in local elections. 89.3% were against the currently proposed scheme of a combined 20 mph zone with road humps. The full results of the poll are available on the ITC website.

"Had the so-called ‘progressive’ councillors stated in their manifestos that they supported a town-wide, blanket 20 mph speed limit, enforced through the construction of 118 speed cushions and eight speed tables, it is quite clear that many of them would not now occupy their seats in the council chamber.

"Furthermore, had they bothered to spend the £5,000 that had been allocated for consultation at town level, they could have avoided the £30,000 cost of the parish poll. That said, at least we now know the extent and strength of feeling against the current proposals.

"In his last public statement on the parish poll, Mayor Milner described the poll as ‘disgraceful’ and exhorted its organisers (by which he presumably meant IRSAG and its supporters) to ‘take a good look in the mirror’. Well, Mr Mayor, we have done so and our consciences are clear. It is now up to you and your supporters on ITC to take that good look in the mirror. Will you now do so, admit that the current proposals are a big mistake and stop the payments to BMDC – or plough blindly on and attempt to continue to impose your misguided will on the townspeople of Ilkley?"