20mph change for village after only one objection

A new 20mph zone (32km/h) is set to be introduced in a village, after only one objection was formally lodged against it.

Cambridgeshire County Council held a consultation to gather views on reducing the speed limit in Great Wilbraham.

The objector questioned whether data backed up the claim that reducing speed limits to 20mph made roads safer, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In response, the county council said higher speeds increased the risk of pedestrian fatalities, and it believed cutting the speed limit would also encourage people to walk and cycle more.

Plans for the 20mph zone are part of a wider programme to reduce speed limits across the county.

The council said no objections to the Great Wilbraham proposals were raised by the emergency services.

The person who objected said the restriction should not be applied to "random roads" without sufficient evidence.

"There is no data showing how many incidents there were on that road due to cars going more than 20mph," they added.

Council officers said it was "extremely difficult" to find data that would specifically identify someone travelling at over 20mph as being the factor of an accident.

However, officers said the risk of a pedestrian fatality was three times higher when a vehicle was travelling at about 30 to 40mph.

They said: "This is the predominant reason why 20mph speed limits are gaining popularity, not only in the UK, but in other parts of the world too.

"Additionally, slower speeds are less intimidating towards those who walk or cycle - activities that we need to encourage more of if we are to reduce the number of harmful emissions and traffic levels in the county."

It also said the village had "significant bends" and narrow paths, as well as a school and nursery, which the county council said would "benefit from slower overall traffic speeds".

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