Residents try to put the skids on speeding drivers

Members of the public raised concerns at a meeting of Hungerford Town Council recently. The council has historically been at loggerheads with highways chiefs over the issue of speeding at both ends of the town.
At Monday’s meeting, during an open public forum, Lis Allen told members: “I’ve recently moved to a property at the top of the High Street. I knew there would be traffic, but I didn’t anticipate the speed at which it would be moving.
“I believe I could be forgiven for thinking I’d bought a property on a dual carriageway - vehicles are tanking up and down there at speeds of up to 50mph. They bounce over the mini roundabout at Atherton Road like it’s not there.”
Deputy chairman of the town council’s highways and transport committee, Richard Hudson, pointed out that the issue of speeding at approaches to both ends of Hungerford had been identified as a problem in the Town Plan Refresh document.
He added: “This has been going on for years and years. What we want is speed reactive signs and more police enforcement.”
However, said Mr Hudson, West Berkshire Council remained opposed to more than one such sign because it feared public ‘sign fatigue’ in which drivers became immune to their intended effect.
He added: “We will ask them to reconsider. I believe they can be a very effective way of slowing traffic.”
The issue was first reported in the Newbury Weekly News’ Hungerford edition in 2012.
Martin Crane, mayor at the time, reported “huge concern” by residents over the issue and warned of a potential fatality.
At Monday’s meeting, Hungerford district councillor Paul Hewer (Con) told members of the public he would resurrect the issue with the highways authority.
He said: “I can instruct the (district council) highways team to do a survey and I’ll set that ball rolling over the next couple of weeks.”
Chairman of the town council’s highways and transport committee, Roger Thompson, reminded the meeting that proposals for a 20mph zone across Hungerford, with the inevitable exception of the High Street because it is an ‘A’ route, had not met with public support.
* DO you have problems with speeding motorists? Do you have a solution? Have your say - contact Hungerford and Lambourn reporter John Garvey via email at john.garvey@ newburynews.co.uk or telephone 01635 564 528.