A REVIEW of safety at the controversial Whitchurch Road 'rural gateway' has concluded that the road is now safer for all road users.
But scheme designer Mike Parnell, Devon County Council's local services officer, admitted in the report to 'some adverse comments' by members of the public.
He recommended a number of changes which he said 'will significantly improve the overall effectiveness of the work that has been carried out'.
The gateway was built earlier this year along the Whitchurch Road, between Grenofen and the southern boundary of Tavistock aimed at reducing the speed of traffic and the number of heavy goods vehicles on the road.
It was funded largely by Sustrans because route 27 of the National Cycle Network runs along the road between the primary school and Grenofen tunnel.
There had been a number of reports from residents saying the scheme had been ineffective in slowing traffic down and, in fact, had made the road more dangerous because it suddenly narrowed with insufficient warning to motorists.
They ciited a series of minor accidents immediately following the installation of the gateway to support their complaints.
The safety audit was carried out on June 27 2000, but the results have only just been released. They were considered by the West Devon partnership committee on Monday.
Local councillors Roger Mathew, Caroline Keane and Pat Warne, although not committee members, spoke up to condemn the scheme — calling it dangerous and a waste of money — on behalf of the many people they said had complained to them about it.
Mr Mathew said nobody had done any monitoring, either before or after, and felt it was a waste of money continuing if no one knew if the scheme had been effective.
Mr Parnell claimed the scheme had not been finished so there was no point monitoring it until it had.
The committee recommended, by six votes to one, that remedial works were carried out to re-establish the rural gateway and that the road should be monitored over 12 months once it was completed.
The remedial works will include the installation of granite kerbs to separate the single track road from the cycle and foot path and edge-lining the gateway more effectively.
Signs showing priority through the 'passing places' will be improved and the 30mph speed limit will be extended right through the gateway.
The work is to be carried out as soon as possible and the estimated £10,000 costs will be met from the county council's maintenance budget. Mr Parnell said the work taking place last week was surface patching.
Local resident Ian Kilpatrick, a vocal opponent to the scheme, said: 'What they are planning to do goes some way towards addressing the horrendous mistakes they've made already, but I still say they should abolish the whole thing.'
He said that the remediations would still not be sufficient.
'They must move the Whitchurch end of it at least 100 yards towards Grenofen and put 'right of way' signs,' he said.
'I've spoken to hundreds of people and everybody is up in arms about it — 50 people told me they had written to the council. What has happened to those letters?'