ROAD safety has been given ‘priority status’ by police officers who have been urged to do more to reduce vehicles’ speeds.

Central-based officers have been carrying out more anti-speeding operations in recent weeks, focusing on Worsbrough, Stairfoot and Dodworth following residents’ calls for more to be done.

The Chronicle can reveal Vernon Road and Kingwell in Worsbrough, Tank Row and Grange Lane in Stairfoot and Green Road, Dodworth, have all been targeted, as has the A629 which runs through Wortley.

Green Road in particular has come under the spotlight following a meeting at Barnsley Town Hall when Coun Sam Christmas urged the local authority’s highways team to roll out speed indicator devices on the stretch.

A police spokesperson said: “Road safety remains a priority for our team - we hope residents have seen the team out and about recently using the hand-held laser speed device.

“The majority of drivers are driving to the posted speed limit and driving to the conditions of the road.

“However, we have recently completed six traffic offence reports for those not doing so.”

Inspector Matt Collings added that everyone must work together to do their bit if they are to drive down the number of speed-related incidents on the town’s roads.

“We are committed to reducing fatalities and casualties across the roads of South Yorkshire and welcome the support in us reaching awareness of road safety,” he said.

“We have sadly experienced 11 fatalities on South Yorkshire’s roads during 2024, leaving families and loved ones devastated, as well as having a significant impact on the lives of those involved.

“You can’t be responsible for everyone else’s actions, but you can be for your own.

“Don’t speed, don’t drive while under the influence, don’t use your mobile phone and wear your seatbelt, and ensure children are in a correctly fitting car seat.

“If we work together, we can create safer roads.”