Members of the Isle of Wight Council are calling for funds to be made available to implement speed control measures at gateway points to the town.
If traffic in and around Newport wasn’t slow enough already, councillors from Newport are requesting that particular attention is paid to Staplers Road and Long Lane, but also Fairlee Road, Blackwater Road, Clatterford Road and Whitcombe Road.
Residents at the top of Long Lane and Staplers Road, both residential roads, have been concerned at the speed of traffic entering and leaving the town for many years. A recent survey by Island Roads suggested that speed control measures would be beneficial to the safety of local residents, however, as ever, money to introduce these is the sticking point.
Geoff Brodie, councillor for Newport East, who represents residents in the Long Lane/Buckbury Lane area said:
“Many people in this area walk and try to cross these roads to catch buses or visit family and friends nearby. They find it very unsafe and they have had enough of putting their lives at risk. It is time that County Hall woke up to the myriad traffic problems in our town. Pedestrians and other road users have as many rights as motorists.”
Matt Price, councillor for Newport North, who shares Long Lane and Staplers Road with Cllr Geoff Brodie said:
“Both Staplers and Long Lane are becoming more dangerous all the time. There are various points along both of these roads where there have been accidents and near misses. We need some speed reduction measures to be introduced as soon as possible.
Article continues below this advertisement “I have the same issues along the whole of Fairlee Road where some drivers just drive way beyond the speed limits and often then rat-run too fast through Cross Lane and Halberry Lane. These roads lead from busy residential areas to Primary and Secondary schools and need to be made safe”
Other local councillors including John Hobart, Julie Jones-Evans and Shirley Smart also support this call.
Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council, of which Cllrs Brodie and Price are also members, has been calling for a 20mph limit throughout the town for some years, but all to no avail so far. It is argued that this would also help address speeding in through roads like Trafalgar Road and Carisbrooke High Street.
Cllr Brodie adds:
“There are also many lanes and narrow roads around the outskirts of Newport and Carisbrooke which only have either 40mph or national speed limit (60mph) restrictions when they are not only dreadfully narrow, but also have many blind bends. For example, Burnt House Lane, Blacklands Lane and Marvel Lane”.
“Road safety in and around Newport has been ignored for too long. We must all work collectively together to try and tackle this problem”.
“Speed Gateways” pull the other one. no doubt needing number plate recognition.
It will just be the first stage to the imposing of a congestion charge.
There is no way you can speed into Newport currently anyway.Another nail in the coffin of the High street, and they won’t stop at imposing the congestion charge Newport, soon to come to a village near you.
Dam it you beat me to it,lol. Yes money making! Everything will now be about money make more then before. And we all know why,dont we!?
How can they take away speed cameras then somehow become concerned about speed reduction measures, is there an election on the horizon for those individuals perhaps? Do they think we have goldfish memory spans?
If the speed limits are being ignored then reinstate the speed cameras and increase the fines and sentencing to cover the cost. The existing speed limits are fine, the last thing thats needed is to slow all the traffic down because a few break the speed limits, the councillors seem to think that all drivers ignore the law which is not the case.
Another reason not to go to Newport. This council and its town councilors are continually looking for ways to kill this island, election time soon, remember their fine efforts, time for change.
Simple, put cameras back, increase fines, say £250 for 1st offence then add £250 for each additional offence after that up to £5000 then if after the £5000 offence you speed again, crush the car.
I wrote to Bob Seely about this and he passed it onto whoever and they said there was no need and drivers should be responsible for how the drive… I did say there is no need for national speed limit signs on any road and in particular single track lanes. They are a joke these people in management.
Did you really waste your time? They wont take any notice of me and you writing to them!
The basic problem, apart from the drivers of course, is that there is very little enforcement of the existing speed limits.
Instead put a round about at the Arreton junction and the lights by the pub traffic flowing up from Arreton there needs to be an extra lane to allow those that want to turn off to the downs and for the others to go straight on.
Wouldnt take much and then the Hare and hound round about needs addressing its lawless !
Yes please.sort top of staplers once n for all
The noise n speed especially at night is awful.im just down from landscape and cant even use the bus stop on that side as too near road and passing cars.i use a walker so no bloody chance.30m limit gas never been adhered too
A camera would be good.
Also i can hear the twats racing up n down dual carridgway nightly lije there on a race track so i really feel for resident directly behind.council…stop wasting our money and get WORKING cameras in.youll be minted first few months at least!