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Village 20mph zone to be extended

Hannah Brown
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Local Democracy Reporting Service A round 20mph sign on a lamp-post. 20 is written in black letters on a white background and rimmed in red. It is underneath a hanging basket and is set against the backdrop of a blue sky with white clouds.Local Democracy Reporting Service
One villager said the 20mph schemes made it a "much safer and more attractive route", while another said they lead to "dangerous overtakes"

A police force has largely backed plans to extend a village 20mph scheme but questioned if it would be obeyed on one of the roads "without the addition of further physical measures".

The speed limit was introduced in the north of Girton, near Cambridge, in 2021 and the parish council has requested its extension to most streets in the south of the village.

Cambridgeshire Police said it supported the majority of the scheme but raised concerns about Girton Road.

A county council officer said traffic-calming measures may be considered in the future on that road "where compliance with the 20mph limit is poor".

Google A red 20mph limit painted on a road surface outside a village hall, with cars parked at the side of the roadGoogle
The 20mph speed limit is already in place in the north of the village, where it is painted on a red background on the road surface

The police said where the scheme related to residential roads "the demand for on-street parking spaces acts as a form of traffic-calming, thus having a positive impact on speed compliance".

But it questioned the implementation on partially rural Girton Road, which "has a function which would include supporting traffic flow in and out of Cambridge city", as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A council officer said a set of speed cushions between its junction with Wellbrook Way and the bridge over the A14 "should help reduce speeds".

Only three members of the public took part in a consultation about the plan.

One was supportive, saying the original 20mph zone had made it "a much safer and more attractive route for me and my family to cycle to Cambridge and work".

There were two objectors, with one saying the speed limit is "routinely ignored and unenforced by police" and lead to "dangerous overtakes".

The new zone will cover most streets in the south of the village, from Girton Road's junction with Weavers Field, to its junction with Huntingdon Road.

Edna Murphy, the Liberal Democrat county councillor for the village, said it was part of its wider plans to "improve road safety generally across communities and encourage more active travel choices by reducing vehicle speeds".

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