20mph limit proposed for Coronation Road – but will this be enough to stop ‘idiot’ drivers?

CORONATION Road has been recommended to become a 20mph speed limit area following an assessment by Wiltshire Council – but a town councillor has warned that it won’t stop ‘idiots’ driving at excessive speeds.

The recommendation also proposes that the limit be enforced on other roads in the area including Martigny Road, Milton Avenue, Sangster Avenue, Pembroke Road, Somerset Crescent, Williams Close, Rowley Place, Thackery Crescent, Byron Close and Ruskin Avenue. It is hoped that the speed limit will help increase the number of people driving at a safe distance. However, deputy mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard has warned that there will always be ‘idiots’ who ignore limits.

Speaking the town council’s asset management committee meeting, cllr Hubbard used information from metro counts taken on Kenilworth Gardens before and after the introduction of the 20mph limit, to explain the potential impact the speed limit could have on Coronation Road.

“What is interesting is that it shows about a 3mph reduction in average speed,” he said, “which doesn’t sound overly dramatic, but if you tunnel into the numbers, what you will see is that the idiots who drive at the high speeds, the 30, 40, even 50mph down Kenilworth Gardens are still doing that – and frankly you could put up a speed gun, a camera, a policeman stationed there all day and most of them will still drive at those speeds, as they are idiots. But the people who were driving along at 26, 27mph have now come down to 20, 21mph.

“The number of vehicles driving closer to the speed limit is significantly higher. The average speed has not decreased to the same extent as you still have people driving at extreme speeds and you will always have that.

“And when you put this in at Coronation Road, you will still have people driving too fast there when it’s late at night. But by slowing down the majority of people on that road you will make it safer for the majority of the time.”

At the meeting, town councillors agreed to fund £5,000 of the estimated £12,000-£15,000 cost to introduce the 20mph limit. Funding will also be requested from the Melksham Community Area Transport Group (CATG) and the Melksham Area Board.

Also at the meeting, a resident of Church Lane appealed for the lane and Blackmore Road to be considered for a 20mph speed limit and cllr Hubbard said that work is ongoing to tackle the issue of speeding on Spa Road.