THERE’S growing anger and incredulity that a speed hump which has been desperately needed for a Cornish community has turned into more of a ‘speed pimple’.

Local councillors have been told that the top layer of the traffic calming measure has had to be abandoned by Cornwall Council due to increased costs.

The case of the ‘Heamoor speed pimple’ on the outskirts of Penzance was raised at a meeting of Madron Parish Council last week by its chairman, Cllr Hugh Eddy. The flat table speed bump has been built at Heamoor Crossroads but, as he puts it, it’s “basically useless”.

He said: “Unlike bumps located at Clarence Street or the promenade, which have a ‘bite’, this one is merely more like a slightly raised manhole.”

Cllr Eddy said that he was told by the area’s Cornwall councillor, Juliet Line, that since the job started, the topping material on it had gone up by 400 per cent in value, meaning that the costs of finishing the scheme could not be covered by the allocated funding.

“Therefore the ‘hump’ is to be left as it is, with the asphalt base but no top coat,” added Cllr Eddy. “I couldn’t really believe what I was hearing. It’s like building a house then not bothering with the roof tiles ‘because I can’t afford them’.

“Ratepayers’ money has been tied up in this scheme, which myself and many around Heamoor had high hopes for in slowing down the traffic on Madron Hill. Ultimately the money is wasted, because the scheme doesn’t slow traffic. Cornwall Council could have used the money to fill potholes elsewhere until they sorted the budget to actually finish this scheme.

“I was left wondering, does no one check the cost and availability of materials before starting works? Is there no contingency budget? Somewhere between Cornwall Council and Cormac [the council’s arm’s length civil engineering company] a half-baked scheme has been delivered.”

Cllr Line, Liberal Democrat councillor for Ludgvan, Madron, Gulval and Heamoor at Cornwall Council, said: “The long-awaited work at Joseph’s Lane/Madron Road junction has finished but the scheme that was promised has not been delivered. I’m told that the top layer of the ‘tabletop’ speed hump that was on the original plans had to be abandoned due to an increase in the price of materials.

“The new surface appears to be having very little impact on speeding traffic coming down from Madron, which was the primary purpose of the scheme. Local residents have endured a long wait followed by major disruption and public money has been spent on something that is not serving its intended purpose.

“This is completely unacceptable. I have written to Dan Rogerson, Cabinet member for transport, to insist that a solution be found and will continue pushing to make sure a proper job is done. I’ve been in contact with Highways to try to find a way to get the extra layer put on. The situation is ongoing.”

Mayor of Penzance, Stephen Reynolds, who represents Heamoor and Gulval on the town council, said: “Heamoor folk have been desperate for traffic calming at the Joseph’s Lane crossroads for years. There was huge relief when funding was made available for what looked like a really well-designed scheme that would massively improve pedestrian safety in the village.

“So it’s all the more frustrating that due to ‘unexpected’ increases in the cost of materials, we have been left with a ‘speed pimple’ that barely slows traffic down. There are serious questions to be answered about the flawed budgeting and procurement processes at Cormac that resulted in a much-needed (and straightforward) scheme going so badly wrong.

“I’m fully supportive of Cllr Line’s attempts to secure the extra funding needed to complete the project to the required standard.”

Cornwall Council have been contacted for a comment.