RESIDENTS have urged Hungerford Town Council to push for a 20mph speed limit near their homes.
On Tuesday night (May 28), the council’s highways and transport committee considered requests for 20mph zones in Church Street and Sanham Green.
James Cole wanted to know whether residents wanted to reduce accidents or whether the measure was simply for their “comfort - in other words, to stop traffic rushing past them”.
He added: “For example, I’d propose a 20mph limit in the High Street because I want to see overall speeding reduced - but it’s not a means of reducing accidents.”
In fact, in 2020 the town council requested, in vain, that the highways authority, West Berkshire Council, trial a 20mph in High Street
That was the second time that the town council had made the request after the district council previously refused on the basis that there were enough disruptions already to free-flowing traffic and that a 20mph speed limit would potentially be ignored anyway.
Likewise, Alistair Fyfe suggested introducing a 20mph limit in Church Street and Sanham Green would be meaningless unless it was properly policed.
He added: “In parts of London there’s almost a blanket 20mph limit.
“And it almost works because it’s massively policed.
“I’m really struggling with this, though; I fear that, in this case, there’s a perception that there’s a lot of speeding but traffic is really travelling at quite a low speed.”
David Reeves warned that backing 20mph limits for Church Street and Sanham Green could open the floodgates leading to a plethora of similar calls elsewhere.
He added: “It would take up a lot of time and energy.”
Mr Reeves also said police figures suggested the main traffic problem in the town was not necessarily speeding but careless driving.
He warned that introducing 20mph limits could be seen as “virtue signalling” and concluded: “The evidence isn’t there that it reduces accidents.”
Richard Hudson said: “I think they want it to feel more like a residential street.”
However, he pointed out that none of those residents lobbying for a 20mph limit had attended the meeting to address the committee.
Town mayor Helen Simpson said she would need more convincing that backing calls for a 20mph limit in those streets was practical and necessary.
She added: “Let them come and convince us.”
No final decision was made on whether or not to support residents’ bid for 20mph limits.
But neither was the door closed on it - the committee agreed to defer the issue to give residents in favour of the scheme a chance to address them at a future meeting.
Any final decision would rest with West Berkshire Council, as highways authority.
