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Lower speed limit will make villages safer
Motorists are being asked to slow down in Hampshire's villages as part of a drive to cut the number of road accidents.
Yesterday saw the launch of a new scheme which will see speed limits slashed to 30mph in all villages over the next two years.
Cllr Mel Kendal, who is in charge of the environment for Hampshire County Council, unveiled the first new 30mph signs in Corhampton, north of Fareham, with the help of local schoolchildren.
He said: 'This is a real change for the better.
'The introduction of 30mph speed limits in all our villages should bring huge benefits to rural communities. Being able to get around your village freely and safely is an important part of village life. In some villages we have unacceptable situations where a busy road cuts one side off from the other.'
There are 43 villages across the county which will have the 30mph limit this autumn, including Boarhunt and Soberton, with a further 61 expecting the limit to be introduced in spring next year.
The move has come after guidance issued by the department for transport in 2006 recommended that villages should have comparable speed limits to similar roads in urban areas and that a 30mph limit should be 'the norm in villages'.
Transport bosses at the county council say all villages will eventually have speeds limited to 30mph.
Cllr Kendal said: 'Our aim is to get motorists to moderate their driving.
'Put simply, the initiative is about reducing speeds, not punishing drivers.'
The scheme, costing 2m over three years to 2010, is being launched alongside an awareness campaign, which will see information printed on the back of buses and broadcast on local radio.
But some drivers say a blanket speed reduction won't stop accidents.
Keith Peat, an ex-police patrol driver and spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said: 'It needs to be more thought out and accident spots targeted, rather than just a blanket change.'
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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