Villagers welcome 20mph speed limit

THE speed limit in Nettlebed is to be reduced to 20mph after more than a year of campaigning by the parish council and school.

Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, will put up new speed signs on the 30mph roads as part of its “20 is Plenty” scheme.

James Leach, who chairs Nettlebed Parish Council, said: “I’m very pleased. It’s really good news for the village given the proximity to the high street, the school, the church and the Cheese Shed.

“It’s safer and hopefully it will make roads quieter and reduce air pollution.

“The statistics are just undeniable — the slower you drive the less likely for a fatality to happen.

“These are busy roads, particularly on weekends.”

Last year, the county council introduced the scheme for towns and villages in Oxfordshire following public consultation and trials.

In 2020, Nettlebed Council discussed speeding in the village and suggested ways to improve it.

Councillors said that drivers travelled through the 30mph roads at nearly twice the speed, despite there being speedbumps and a crossing outside the school and a speed camera on the opposite side next to the pelican crossing.

The following year, the council gave “20’s Plenty” stickers to residents of Watlington Street and High Street to attach to their waste bins so that on collection days they would be visible to passing traffic.

Later in the year, children, staff and parents from Nettlebed Community School joined the campaign. All 129 pupils made “20’s Plenty” posters in support.

Several parents had reported near-misses and pupils said they had seen animals being hit by cars going too fast while they were on their way to school.

Headteacher Bethany Greenwood said: “This is fantastic news.

“The safety of children walking to and from school will be protected. We have been incredibly worried because there have been near-misses. The roads are generally not safe. I’m overjoyed about this change.

“Hopefully we won’t have any accidents and it will make people more aware that there are pedestrians and children.

“The pavements are narrower in places so I think it will make people feel safer while walking.

“The children have all been part of the campaigning so this will make them feel empowered as they were part of creating positive change.”