Absentee North Yorkshire councillor Keane Duncan appears to be more interested in bowing to pressure on social media and pulling political rank than ensuring public safety in Norton.

As Mayor of Norton, I recently asked North Yorkshire Highways to barrier off the Church Street entrance to the St Nicholas Street car park as, due to roadworks on Church Street and Welham Road, it had become a rat run used by motorists unwilling to take the official diversion and instead wanting to shave a few minutes off their journey.

I witnessed a young girl nearly hit by a car as a motorist sped through the car park far too fast. Motorists crossing the car park at excessive speed to make the short cut are at real risk of killing someone.

During busy periods a constant queue of traffic backs up through the car park trying to force its way onto St Nicholas Street.

It was vital to put public safety first and North Yorkshire Highways sensibly erected the barriers, only for them to be removed again less than 48 hours later because Cllr Duncan objected to them.

As Cllr Duncan does not live in Norton and hasn’t attended a town council meeting for more than 18 months perhaps he should consult with more than social media before he instructs officers to act.

Over last weekend traffic continued to stream through the car park, which is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and frustrating for motorists who follow the designated diversion signs. The situation is far worse during the working week.

The roadworks are only temporary so motorists would not be inconvenienced for long, so surely we should all put public safety first?

Cllr Dinah Keal, Norton