Children win village speeding campaign
CHILDREN who started a petition to slow speeding traffic in their village may have won their battle, it was revealed last night.Community leaders and campaigners, some as young as seven years old, were last night celebrating after council chiefs announced they would be looking to cut the speed limit in Barnardiston, near Haverhill, from 60mph to 30mph.
CHILDREN who started a petition to slow speeding traffic in their village may have won their battle, it was revealed last night.
Community leaders and campaigners, some as young as seven years old, were last night celebrating after council chiefs announced they would be looking to cut the speed limit in Barnardiston, near Haverhill, from 60mph to 30mph.
The dramatic reduction was sparked by a petition organised by Kezia Gould, seven, and 11-year-old Emily Rubio.
Emily said: “We started the petition because we were really scared by the road. But we think a 30mph limit will be a lot safer and we are really pleased because it has been changed.”
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The problem of speeding traffic through the village has been a headache for residents for several years. But a drive to reduce the limit was reintroduced recently when the two youngsters organised a petition calling for improvements after a near miss as they walked back from a friend's house in the village.
“My friend and I were playing but when we went to cross the road, a car came round the corner and only just missed us,” Emily said.
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“It was really scary - at first we thought we would put a poster up to get people to slow down but instead we got people to sign it. We thought if maybe the children organised and signed the petition somebody would listen.”
The campaign was backed by west Suffolk MP Richard Spring who welcomed the plans for the speed reduction.
He said: “I was most impressed by the action taken by children in Barnardiston, particularly by Kezia Gould and Emily Rubio.
“When I met the children they told me they had been frightened and concerned by the high speed of many vehicles. In addition, sadly, that, many pets had been killed.
“I wanted to do my best to help the children who have put in so much effort to highlight this issue and get something done.
“It is to their credit that we have been able to persuade the county council to address the issue so quickly. It is excellent news that the council has agreed that a speed limit is necessary in Barnardiston.”
A spokesman for Suffolk County Council last night said they were looking to reduce the speed limit to 30mph but would have now have to go through the relevant consultation and legal processes before anything was adopted.
