Village opposes cutting speed limit (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Village opposes cutting speed limit

2:57pm Tuesday 16th October 2007 in News

KINGS Worthy has rejected the chance to lower speed limits on key roads in the village.

Kings Worthy Parish Council (KWPC) was considering applying to Hampshire County Council to be among the second clutch of villages in the county to reduce speed limits to 30mph.

But the idea was shelved at a meeting on Monday (October 15) when councillors were told that opinion on the parish council was too divided and that it would make it difficult to push the changes through.

Jackie Porter, county councillor for the Itchen Valley, said the council would be 'flogging a dead horse' if it tried to get speed limits reduced in Kings Worthy and that there was not enough interest among residents to satisfy the criteria of the county council.

Parish councillors argued that lowering speed limits along Springvale Road and Lovedon Lane was unnecessary and that doing so would further urbanise the area and lead to more house building.

However the council did agree to put forward an application for Abbots Worthy to have its speed limits reduced to 30mph along the B3047, from the junction of the Basingstoke Road towards Martyr Worthy.

Speaking at Monday's meeting, Cllr Nick Culhane, said: "I would argue there's been very few accidents on Springvale Road. Yes there's been one fatality but that would have happened regardless of speed. There's nothing wrong with doing 40mph on Springvale Road."

"There's a perceived problem. Yes, now and again you have to wait for three or four cars to pass before you can cross but after that it's fine.

"We're going to have to do a lot more to the road in order to have a 30mph limit. Do we really want to be seen as people who put up a lot more street furniture?"

Robert Johnston, chairman of KWPC, added: "I am pleased we have arrived at a decision. Circumstances that are about to change in Kings Worthy make it difficult to make a positive recommendation at the moment.

"But I am pleased to make a positive recommendation for Abbots Worthy."