Roadworks that bring the Dales to a standstill

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

ONCE again the A65, the main artery from West Yorkshire to the Dales and Lake District, has ground to a halt.

There have been on-going utility works in Long Preston for some considerable time which involve digging holes in the pavement at the top of the rise when entering the village from the west.

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Last Friday, I was undergoing day surgery at Leeds General Infirmary. My wife and daughter set off from our home in Settle to collect me during the early afternoon. The delay at the traffic lights was then 20 minutes.

At least there were then workers in attendance. When we returned the queue extended back to Hellifield and the delay was 30 minutes, to clear Long Preston at precisely 6pm.

We are continually being exhorted to cut down on the use of fossil fuels yet here is a case where the workforce had departed for the weekend leaving drivers fuming. Surely the time has come for these companies to be fined for such action? And not just a matter of them levying the fine onto the consumers but rather against the shareholders and directors’ grubby bonuses.

In this case it would seem to be a simple matter to bridge the gap with metal sheeting over the affected pavement. Is that too easy?