VILLAGERS have welcomed an extension to the 30mph speed limit in Kennington.

The speed limit on Kennington Road will be extended north of the village to include the entrance to the Said Business school, at Egrove Park, and the two bus stops nearby.

The extension, which will stretch to north of the bypass bridge, comes after residents and business school staff complained of speeding traffic.

Kennington Parish Council chairman Colin Charlett welcomed the move by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), but also warned there were worse speeding problems elsewhere.

He said: “For people crossing the road to catch the Abingdon-bound bus it was a bit of a ‘take-your-life-in-your-hands’ situations at times.

“Residents at the end of Kennington were very unhappy because they felt traffic was rushing through. I certainly hope people will be happy this is in place.”

The parish council met police and OCC highways officers this year, after a traffic survey at the top of Kennington Road revealed a small number of speeding cars.

The extended 30mph zone will come into effect from Thursday.

Mr Charlett said the parish council had also paid £100 to conduct a traffic survey on Upper Road and found the problem was worse there.

He said: “There are no speed restrictions on Upper Road, and there are also a lot of parked cars on Kennington Road which can act as a speed restriction.”

He said the parish council had met police and OCC to discuss that problem last year but “hadn’t heard much” since.

The council would be making efforts to revive discussions soon, he added.

OCC spokesman Marcus Mabberley said: “Following discussions between the county council, Kennington Parish Council and the Said Business School it was agreed that the 30mph limit on Kennington Road would be extended, following local consultation, to the north by approximately 100 metres.

“This follows concerns raised over the speed of some traffic on this stretch of road, especially in the vicinity of nearby bus stops. The changes, which include signage and road marking alterations, will be funded by the parish council and business school.

“There have been no speed-related accidents at or near the location in the past five years.”

 

 

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