Residents of historic village 'fearful' over traffic

Residents of a village within a World Heritage Site are pleading for the council to take action to reduce speeding following recent crashes.

Villager Moya Hampson, whose son was run over on the A4361 in 2017, said residents were "fearful and anxious" traffic through Avebury would result in serious harm "very soon".

Three cars were involved in a crash on the Swindon Road, north of the village, in June, with all vehicles leaving the road.

Wiltshire Council said it conducted a speed limit review in 2019 and reduced the limit outside Avebury to 50mph.

Following the review, the decision was made to keep the speed limit within the village, which sits in a Neolithic stone circle, at 30mph.

Mike Daniel, who runs a bed and breakfast on the road, said the collision in June was right outside his house.

A telegraph pole was damaged in the crash, leaving local properties without phone lines or broadband. Nobody was seriously hurt, police said.

Mr Daniel called for solid white lines to be installed on the road to prevent overtaking.

He also wants chicanes put on either side of the village to slow traffic down.

"There have been occasions when I've turned left out of my drive and been faced by an oncoming vehicle that's overtaking other vehicles," he said.

Mrs Hampson said her son ended up with "several broken limbs" after he was hit eight years ago.

She said the 30mph limit was not enough to protect pedestrians, especially as there was very limited signage in the village because it was a World Heritage Site.

Mrs Hampson added that long stretches of the road without pavement were an additional risk.

"You see people with pushchairs and their small children with great big juggernaut lorries coming along.

"Sometimes it does feel as though the stones are more important than the people," she said.

Wiltshire councillor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways, encouraged those concerned about the road to contact their local parish council.

He added: "The Avebury World Heritage Site Transport Strategy, completed in 2015, outlines criteria for works within the site boundary and must be considered when developing traffic management options."

Avebury Parish Council's chair, councillor Mike Bedford, said it was clear "significant" traffic problems in the area were "escalating and something needs to be done".

He said a meeting would be held soon to approve remedial actions.

Mr Bedford added that the parish council "laments the failure" of the delivery of the 2015 transport strategy and had limited power to fulfil it directly.

"However we do, and will continue to, react to provide small but incremental solutions where we can," he said.

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