A CALL has been made for traffic calming measures to be introduced on a Peppard street.
The request was made by parish councillor Tony Rancombe despite a survey showing that Blounts Court Road does not have a speeding problem.
Peppard Parish Council commissioned the survey after a resident raised concerns about the speed of drivers coming off the B481.
Councillor Rancombe said that even though the results showed drivers largely stayed at or below the 30mph limit, the traffic still needed to be controlled.
He said: “Blounts Court Road residents complained about speed and in parts of the road it is exposed and narrow. I think the problem is cars going even at 30mph at that point when there are no verges. Even if someone is going 25mph you feel exposed.
“We should do something about it and put some restrictions in place.”
Oxfordshire county councillor David Bartholomew said the county council would not fund any traffic calming measures unless the road had an accident record to justify them.
Vivien Mitchell, of Blounts Court Road, said the road was regularly used by dog walkers. Speaking from the public gallery, she said: “Originally there were slow marks on the road which have worn off. I would propose meeting half way by having the road markings replaced before someone gets squashed.”
Cllr Bartholomew said that if the markings were still visible there was a possibility they could be refreshed. “Unfortunately, refreshment is a low priority,” he said. “If a case can be made that is what is possible.
“I had the budget a year ago but I do not have it anymore. It is possible the parish councill could fund it. I will see what I can do.” Rob Blues, who runs the Butcher’s Arms pub, off Blounts Court Road, said he had witnessed drivers speeding while out walking his dog.
He told the
Henley Standard: “People speed past right outside the pub — I see it all the time. There is a lot of agricultural traffic as well.
“It’s only a matter of time before someone has a collision. Drivers have competitions to see who can get past each other. They need to slow down. It’s not safe.”
Sarah Cole, who works as a dog walker in Peppard and Sonning Common, said she often walked on the verge with dogs.
She said: “There should be something done because drivers go far too fast down here. It has been like this for years. If drivers go too fast they’re not going to be able to stop. If I can, I go on to someone’s drive to get out the way.”
But Dave McKeown, of Park Close, Sonning Common, who walks his dog Jessie along the road, disagreed.
He said: “I agree it is narrow but I would say 90 to 95 per cent of drivers slow down and acknowledge when someone is walking along the road. I’ve been walking along this road for 15 years and I can’t see anything to complain about.”
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