Campaigner calls council's 20mph trial 'laughable'

Tony White wants Swaffham to be the first town in Norfolk to have an area-wide 20mph (32km/h) speed limit

The leader of a campaign group calling for an area-wide 20mph (32km/h) speed limit in a market town has described proposals to trial it as "laughable" and "ridiculous".

Tony White from 20's Plenty for Norfolk wants the speed limit in all urban areas of Swaffham to be reduced to improve air quality, traffic flow and safety.

However, Norfolk County Council has agreed to a six-month trial, starting next month, which involves a 0.3 mile (0.5 km) extension to the current 20mph speed limit in the town centre.

The council said the trial had been designed to provide "useful feedback" before any wider scheme was considered.

Mr White said the scheme, known as an experimental traffic regulation order, was "pointless" as it did not cover a wide enough area to show why a reduction in speed was necessary.

"It's very disappointing," he said. "What do they [the council] think this is going to achieve?

"I don't know who has made that decision, because at the end of the day, we campaigned for an area-wide reduction so I don't know why that has changed."

The council's trial will include a 0.3 mile (0.5 km) extension to the current 20mph limit on London Street

The council said signs would be put up in advance of the trial to inform drivers of the upcoming change.

• Listen on BBC Sounds: Swaffham campaigner calls 20mph trial laughable

A Norfolk County Council spokesperson said: "We know how strongly the 20's Plenty group feel about the need for a lower speed limit, and it's true that in some circumstances a 20mph limit can be the best way to improve safety while keeping the traffic flowing.

"To determine whether that's the case in Swaffham, we'll be introducing a 20mph limit, to be monitored over six months to determine whether it’s the right solution for Swaffham."

The council said the "extents of the proposed trial discussed with the town council" had not changed.

Residents in Swaffham told the BBC that they would largely back the area-wide reduction in speed.

On average, about 14,000 vehicles travel through Swaffham each day

Campaigns to introduce a 20mph speed limit are also under way in King's Lynn, plus across the border in Brandon, Beccles, Bungay and Lowestoft in Suffolk.

Several Norfolk villages have also called for the lower speed limit.

Last year, Wales introduced a 20mph for all built up areas, which became enforceable this month, with Scotland set to follow suit in 2025.