Residents may use cars to slow traffic

Buy photos » Coun Clive Rickhards receives the petition from Dr Chris Clews, chairman of Sambourne Parish Council. Picture by Marcus Mingins 3212011MMR. Order this picture at www.buyphotos247.com.

RESIDENTS in Sambourne are considering using their cars to create pinch points through the village to slow down speeding traffic.

People are considering parking cars in safe positions along the lanes as a last resort if pressure to get Warwickshire County Council to act fails.

About 170 people have signed a petition calling for action after last year’s parish survey revealed 63 per cent of residents felt it was an issue and 71 per cent supported control measures.

A review of the speed limit carried out in February 2010 saw it reduced from 40mph to 30mph but it has had minimal impact with the average speed through the village still recorded at 39mph.

Dr Chris Clews, chairman of Sambourne Parish Council, said although there had been no-one killed, excessive speeds on rural roads was a lethal cocktail and it was only a matter of time before someone did lose their life. But added he thought it was unlikely speed cameras would be installed and were inappropriate.

“It has been a problem for quite a while but has got increasingly worse in the last five years or so,” he said.

“500 vehicles an hour on C+D roads with a mean speed above 30mph is excessive.”

He added they hoped the county council would consider installing a chicane or pinch points in the village but if not residents were so angry they were prepared to use their cars to slow drivers down.

Coun Clive Rickhards, who represents the area on Warwickshire County Council, was presented with the petition at Studley Village Hall on Tuesday (August 7) and said he would press the traffic department on the issue.

“There is no question there is a speeding problem in Sambourne. We shouldn’t just look at mean speed, from my observations there are quite a lot of cars doing really excessive speeds. Sambourne are presenting a number of options and at this moment in time we want to keep all options open and it’s up to county to respond.”

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