Council removes anti-speeding scarecrows in Nidd for ‘safety reasons’

North Yorkshire Council has removed several scarecrows created as part of an anti-speeding campaign in a village between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Residents in Nidd put up about 16 scarecrows near the B6165 and Town Street this month as part of a campaign to reduce the speed limit after two recent fatal accidents.

Several were designed to look like police officers and some contained messages.

But North Yorkshire Council removed the ones immediately alongside the highways last week. Several on private land remain.

A council spokesperson said:

“Our highways team contacted festival organisers on Thursday requesting that scarecrows near the road were removed ahead of Storm Babet.

“They were not able to get hold of the organisers so officers were sent to remove scarecrows close to the road due to safety reasons.

“The scarecrows are being kept safe at the highways depot for collection. The organisers and parish council were informed of this.”

Several scarecrows have high visability jackets.

A police officer scarecrow.

The activists’ creative scarecrow stunt has divided opinion in Nidd.

Some villagers embraced the move to raise awareness of the campaign to reduce the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.

The B6165, which links Ripley and Knaresborough, has some sharp, narrow bends in Nidd, especially near Nidd Hall.

Villager and co-organiser Jayne Brown said the scarecrow festival served its purpose:

“It definitely had an big impact on reducing the speed and making the lives of the people in the village safer.”

Ms Brown added that less than 36 hours after the scarecrows were removed a car crashed into a wall.

But others thought the stunt was ill-advised.

The clerk of Nidd Parish Council, who asked not to be named, said although it sympathised with the cause it did not think the methods were appropriate.

The clerk reiterated her previous comment, which said:

“We are concerned that any distractions to drivers as they approach, what we all agree is a dangerous bend, is not sensible.”

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Scarecrow festival to raise awareness of speeding in Nidd

The village of Nidd between Harrogate and Knaresborough is to begin a scarecrow festival this weekend to highlight concerns about speeding.

About 16 scarecrows will line both the B6165 that passes through Nidd and Town Street. Many have been designed specifically with a speed theme and one will resemble a police officer.

Nidd resident Jayne Brown said villagers wanted the speed limit reduced from 40mph to 30mph after longstanding concerns had been heightened by two recent fatal accidents in the area.

A police scarecrow with a safety message.

 

Another of the designs

Ms Brown said the lack of visible houses on the B6165 encouraged motorists to drive faster than they should. She added:

“Most drivers are not even aware they are driving through a village with elderly and young children crossing the particularly dangerous part of the road between Nidd Hall hotel and Town Street.

“The corners after Nidd Hall hotel have seen numerous accidents. If the most recent had been seconds earlier it would have hit schoolchildren on the pavement.”

The B6165, which links Ripley and Knaresborough, has some sharp, narrow bends in Nidd, especially near Nidd Hall.

(left to right) Villagers Jayne Brown, Alan Lunn and Shirley Hudson

 

An eye-catching scarecrow

Ms Brown said cars sometimes scraped walls in incidents that weren’t reported to the police so the actual number of accidents was higher than statistics suggested.

The scarecrows are expected to remain in place for a couple of weeks.

However, Nidd Parish Council, which is working with North Yorkshire Council to tackle the traffic issues, does not support the scarecrow initiative.

The clerk said:

“We are concerned that any distractions to drivers as they approach, what we all agree is a dangerous bend, is not sensible.
“They (drivers) should be concentrating on the road ahead and navigating the significant blind curves.
“Secondly, the possibility of attracting people to stop and view scarecrows has several potential difficulties including parking and pedestrians.”
An already unsatisfactory could be made worse by additional hazards, the council added.

Nidd Hall Hotel has agreed to allow two scarecrows at its entrance.

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