Ribble Valley Borough Councillor, Ged Mirfin, who represents Billington, Brockhall and Old Langho, which includes Painter Wood together with County Councillor, Alan Schofield who represents the Division of Ribble Valley South West which includes Billington visited Painter Wood on Tuesday 10th October following concerns expressed by a number of local residents about speeding traffic on Whalley Old Road.

Councillor Mirfin states that, "the fundamental problem is that the Speed Limit on the unlisted stretch of road between Painter Wood and York Village is 60 miles per hour, once one leaves or enters the village environs. Within the two villages it is 30 miles per hour. 60 miles per hour is dangerous on a stretch of road which is little more than a track which iIn places is incredibly narrow which presents a serious threat to pedestrians and there are a large number who regularly walk their dogs along this stretch of road."

County Councillor Schofield states, "in a short space of time we observed several instances of speeding motorists either not slowing down as they entered Painter Wood or speeding up as they exited the village. Residents are quite rightly calling for the Speed Limit between the two villages to be reduced from 60 to 40 miles per hour. They are quite right and have my full support."

Councillor Schofield continues, "in the first instance I will be recommending the installation of Speed Indicator Devices (SpIDs) at either end of this stretch of road to capture data on how many vehicles are speeding and how fast they are travelling when they are entering and exiting the villages. This Data will be presented to my colleague County Councillor Keith Iddon, the Cabinet Member responsible for Highways who will work with Officers at County Hall to decide whether a reduction in the Speed Limit is justified based on the criteria that Highways Legislation operates in accordance with. I can't promise anything at this stage but from what I have observed I see there is certainly a problem and will lobby hard to try and ensure that something is done about it."

Councillor Mirfin concludes, "that an unlisted road has a 60 miles per hour Speed Limit beggars belief and we will both be encouraging Nigel Evans MP to solicit a change in the law to lower the Speed Limit on rural country lanes like this in order to make them safer for pedestrians and motorists alike. Speeding wasn't the only problem we observed. Whalley Old Road is in a woeful state. Road is very much a misnomer. In places it is little wider than a track. It is hardly wide enough in places for two vehicles to pass each other safely. At certain passing locations the side of the road is deeplyrutted and extremely worn at the edges - a situation made worse by the weather with rain washing part of the road away. That and the ubiquitous array of potholes means that motorists, several of which we spoke to are incurring damage to their vehicles. I know Alan will also take up these further concerns with the County and I hope that we will be able to do something about this extremely dilapidated road. Otherwise the residents who live in the properties dotted along either side of the road will face the double danger of speeding motorists and excessive wear and tear to their vehicles. That is why I personally would also like to see the installation of speed cameras and greater use of corner mirrors although there is not as much support for this from local residents."