Local Residents Hope for Speed Limit Cuts as County Council Carry Out Review

9.15.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 7th Sep 2007

Barry Stamp has campaigned hard for speed limit reduction

Barry Stamp, a leading campaigner for improved road safety on the A518 in Haughton and Gnosall has today welcomed the news that Staffordshire County Council is to review speed limits on all A and B class roads in the County.

Stafford Borough Councillor Barry Stamp, who earlier in the year presented the County Council with a petition of over 1000 names calling on the speed limit on the A518 to be reduced from 60mph to 50 mph said he now hoped the concerns of local residents would be heeded and the reduction introduced.

"Over the past few years the number of serious and fatal accidents on the A518 has steadily grown. Many of these have been the result of vehicles travelling far to quickly. Earlier this year I presented the County Council with a petition of over 1000 names calling on them to reduce the speed limit on this road and also take steps to see that it was adhered too. I am really pleased that this week the Government has issued instructions to the County Council telling then to review all the speed limits in their area. Hopefully the Council will now listen to the local residents who signed this petition and recommend a reduction on the A518. At the moment the only response the Council have to the growing number of accidents along this road is to wait until an accident occurs and then install a few extra signs warning of the dangers. This reactive approach has little or no effect on the way people drive. Waiting for the next serious accident to occur before taking action is certainly not a response I can support. Of course lowering the speed limit is only the start and once this is done the County Council, the Camera Safety Partnership and the police must do everything they can to ensure motorists to drive according to the new limit," said Councillor Stamp.

Councillor Stamp has now written to Richard Higgs the Director of Development Services at the County Council reminding him of the petition and calling on him to listen to the thousand plus residents when the speed limit on the A518 is reviewed.