Campaigners are calling for a 20mph limit to be imposed on a number of town roads to make ‘journeys safer’.
Cycle action group Pedals wants to see reduced speed limits on Albion Street, Halmer Gate and Stonegate in Spalding on the grounds of road safety, saying this could also help more people to ditch their cars and make journeys via foot or bike instead.
Spalding councillor Mark Le Sage is also calling for a 20mph speed limit along Stonegate after witnessing the danger of speeding vehicles, with a number of near misses.
Coun Mark Le Sage and members of Pedals are calling for 20mph zones in various parts of Spalding
Pedals had raised its calls for a lower speed limit in Albion Street – where a 62-year-old cyclist died following a collision with a car in 2023 – as part of the planning process for the £26million revamp of the Castle Sports Complex.
Club spokesman David Jones said: “We would hope that more children and young people would be going to the updated leisure facilities on bicycles, which would depend on parents feeling that it would be safer to do so; the last thing we need with a leisure facility is for people to feel that the private car is the default means of getting there.
“A 20mph limit would make these journeys safer.
“It should also be borne in mind that many children living in western parts of the town use the safe cycle route through what we now call the Castle site to get to the schools, in particular the Spalding Academy, and they also need to cross Albion Street to get to the riverside path and the bridge over the river.
“I would not claim that many drivers exceed the current limit of 30mph along Albion Street, but they do proceed confidently, maybe not expecting to need to accommodate a cyclist crossing their path, and so 20mph would be safer.
“Add to that the slight incline for cyclists to negotiate when getting on to Albion Street from the Castle site – and a hill start on a bicycle does require a bit more skill than starting on the level – and visibility to the south is not brilliant because of the presence of the Ship Albion.”
Pedals would also like to see a cyclist/pedestrian traffic signal installed along Albion Street.
Mr Jones said: “It would not greatly hamper motor traffic, and we do need to increase the public perception of safety for cyclists – there are already, before hundreds of new houses are built, far too many cars on our roads, and motorists are going to become increasingly impatient because of the volumes of traffic, to which they are of course themselves contributing.
“The main ways to relieve motor traffic is to increase cycling, and the main reason why so many people don’t, or don’t allow their children to, is the perceived danger of sharing the road with a murder weapon, namely the motor vehicle.”
Coun Le Sage wants to see a 20mph speed limit running along Stonegate from the Spalding High School past the Spalding Parish Church Day School.
The Spalding St Mary’s ward councilllor wants the speed limit to be enforceable and not advisory in order to provide more of a deterrent to speeding motorists.
He has been raising the issue with county councillor Gary Taylor.
Coun Le Sage said: “I have seen myself a couple of near misses as cars come around the corner and children are trying to cross. I have also seen cars parking on the zigzag area and cars driving in and out.
“We have been very fortunate that no-one has been hit and we should have a enforced 20mph speed limit.
“I have also seen a mini being chased by another vehicle and they must have been doing 50mph down Stonegate.”
Last month, the county council agreed to make it easier to introduce new zones in residential and other built-up areas, while also making existing 20mph zones outside schools compulsory.
The motion was brought forward by Coun Richard Cleaver, who is also a member of Stamford Community Speedwatch. In the run-up to the meeting, he said town and parish councils should be allowed to make requests for 20mph zones in areas they believe are appropriate.
Lincolnshire County Council has been approached for comment. The process for such matters typically involves issues being raised with individual county councillors in the first instance.
What do you think? Should some of our streets have a speed limit cut? Let us know your views in the comments below…