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Part of the proposed trial area
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Last chance for views on 20mph Farnborough pilot

By Amy Taylor
January 08, 2013

A CONSULTATION on a pilot scheme to lower speed limits in North Camp, Farnborough, to 20mph ends this week.

North Camp is one of 10 areas where the scheme is being considered subject to residents’ feedback.

Hampshire County Council has put forward the project to trial 20mph speeds in residential areas, with 10,000 people being consulted.

Deputy leader Mel Kendal said: “If these schemes are to be successful and have the potential for being introduced in other areas, it is essential for us to establish that we have the support for implementing 20mph speed restrictions.

“We are therefore sending residents who live where the 20mph limits are proposed a questionnaire, and we would encourage as many of those residents as possible to find a few moments to complete and return it to us so we can get a clear picture of their views.”

In Farnborough, the scheme would include 13 roads in a grid between Reading Road, Alexandra Road, Park Road and Lynchford Road.

Speed signs would be placed at the Reading Road end of Somerset, York and Peabody Roads, as well as at the Alexandra Road end of Queens Road. They would also be in place in Lynchford Road at the entrance to St Alban’s Round-about, the end of Peabody and Morris Road and at the Park Road end of Closeworth Road and Queens Road.

County councillor for Farnborough South, John Wall, said: “The consultation, in the form of a questionnaire, is asking whether residents think speeding is a problem or if they are interested in supporting a community speedwatch. The fundamental thing that is going to make it work or not is if people take ownership of it.”

He said complaints about speeding came from constituents across Farnborough, even in roads where ‘you wouldn’t expect speeding to be an issue’.

“A certain amount of it is a perception,” he added. “But there are roads where the average speed is in the upper-20s, which of course means there are people doing more than 30.

“If you lower the overall speed, you lower the average.”

It was more an issue of quality of life rather than one of potential accidents, he said, and has been proven to work in previous Hampshire schemes such as the Village 30 programme, which successfully lowered speeds in rural areas.

Consultation will run until the end of this week. Questionnaires are available online at http://survey.hants.gov.uk/20mph.htm.

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I was originally told that the consultation finished on 31 December but, when the letters went out, the closing date was 4 January. The website covers all ten trials. I hope that a few stragglers will be accommodated.

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
08/01/2013 at 17:00

Thanks everyone for your comments. The paper was told the consultation would run until w/c January 7 and the website is still live.

Editor, Guildford
08/01/2013 at 16:39

I'm very supportive of on street parking as it's good for residents in older properties with no garages, etc and it also provides free traffic calming.

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
08/01/2013 at 16:00

Seems like a good idea. A lot of the roads mentioned have on street parking which narrows the carriageway as well as introducing additional hazards for through traffic. Safer all round.

R Cook
08/01/2013 at 15:38

If the trial (and the others elsewhere in Hampshire) is successful I will certainly support its extension - subject to consultation with the residents - to other areas.

I agree about the issues around enforcement. My view is that local residents have to take "ownership". Talking to the Police, etc I understand that when they do speed limit enforcement in residential areas most of those exceeding the limit are local residents!

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division, Farnborough, Hampshire
08/01/2013 at 15:21

The problem is getting people to stick to it! Quite often you go through these schemes, then get some idiot come up behind you, overtaking and driving pretty dangerously as a result.

Support the idea, but the enforcement is always an issue.

dave2009
08/01/2013 at 15:13

I Wish this scheeme extended Borough Wide Certainly needed on the Racetrack called Empress estate , Hawley Este Prospect AVE PLease do it

Tony

Tony stevenson, Farnborough
08/01/2013 at 14:49

Consultation actually finished on 4 January AFAIK. Will tweet results when available. John Wall (@CllrJohnWall) - County Councillor, Farnborough South