WESTBURY town councillors will ask Wiltshire Council to conduct a traffic survey in Meadow Lane over concerns of speeding motorists.
A request for the poll was made via correspondence to the town council’s highways, planning and development committee.
The request said, “Because there are two off roads [Whitehorse Way and Field Close] that lead to a significant housing estate with a larger older people population and including a sheltered complex and residential care home, the equipment needs to be put in three different areas, in order to monitor this accurately.”
Cllr Jane Russ said, “As somebody who goes along this road all the time on my bicycle, I agree the cars do speed. It’s a nice, inviting, dead straight road and it’s pretty hairy because people park in the road, which makes a chicane.
“I would support putting up a speed monitoring device.”
But cllr Ward Jones said, “As someone else who traverses this road, we’ve done surveys on Slag Lane which produces nothing and I think the usage of Meadow Lane is far less, so I think this would be fruitless.
“But if the majority say we should put up a survey let’s put up a survey.”
Cllr Mike Sutton said, “I’m happy to go with the majority – I support Jane in that there are a number of cars that speed down Meadow Lane, as there are, I suspect, on most roads in the country.
“The problem we’ve always had is the same as in Slag Lane – if you do a speed count there are a number of cars speeding, but the majority tend to go under 30mph because they’re turning right, they’re coming out. When you collate the evidence, it comes out as under 30mph and they say nothing needs to be done.
“I always support that drivers of cars should be caught for speeding.”
Cllr Sutton said he had mixed views, especially if the council had to pay for the survey as there were “more worthy” places money could be spent on, but would go with the majority view. The clerk advised members that the town council did not pay for the speed checks.
Committee chair, cllr Ian Cunningham ,suggested one of the council’s recently purchased speed indicator devices could be used, which can be moved to different locations.
Members voted 4 to 3 in favour, with 3 abstentions, of asking Wiltshire Council to carry out a survey.
