“A very dangerous stretch of road, increasingly popular with tourists visiting Silbury Hill, Avebury and the Long Barrow and we’ve seen too many accidents over recent years, some fatal and many near misses. Something needs to be done and quickly” was the stark message laid out by Wiltshire Councillor Jane Davies through whose West Selkley ward this stretch of the A4 bisects.
Devizes MP Danny Kruger met with representatives from all the local parishes affected by this stretch to offer support in their campaign to introduce an overall speed limit and add in relevant features to assist safety.
Danny agreed to write to Councillor Bridget Wayman, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Waste to pursue the campaign requests for:
- a speed limit review with the aim of achieving a consistent speed limit of 50 mph along the entire section of the A4 from Manton to Beckhampton
- consideration of the potential to develop a cycleway along the A4 from Manton to Beckhampton (potentially as a bid for resources under the ‘Reallocation of Road Space’ initiative)
He also agreed to write to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire, Angus Macpherson and the Chief Constable for Wiltshire, Kier Pritchard to request more attention be given to speed limit enforcement on the A4
“Residents in the Parishes from Avebury to Manton, West of Marlborough share concerns relating to traffic on the A4 between west Marlborough and Beckhampton” said Jill Turner, Traffic Group Chair on Fyfield and West Overton Parish Council who is co-ordinating this campaign that involves Avebury and Preshute Parish councils as well as residents from Manton.
“Our inboxes are busy with complaints from local residents about the dangers faced by all road users, be they in cars, on bikes or on foot along this stretch of road and there are no crossings” Jill added.
“We have developed a set of proposals and objectives which Wiltshire Council Highways have been considering for some time” explained Jill.
Proposals include a consistent 50mph limit between Manton and Beckhampton, with changes in road markings at key dangerous points, along with the introduction of bollards at the notorious turning to Avebury into the Avenue at East Kennett and crossings at popular pedestrian areas.
“It’s a very busy stretch of road” noted Cllr Davies, “An increasing number of pedestrians are visiting this area’s unique archaeological sites with hardly any footpaths” she added, “All of which create a volatile combination of speeding traffic of all types and sizes and people walking”.
A-level results in unprecedented times
