Hilton to be next village with a 20mph speed limit

A Cambridgeshire village is to be the latest to have 20mph speed limits introduced on its residential roads.

The restriction will affect most roads in the built-up area of Hilton, which sits between St Neots, Cambridge and Huntingdon.

Cambridgeshire County Council will also introduce 40mph buffer zones on the way into the village on the B1040 Potton Road, the B1040 St Ives Road and Graveley Way.

The local authority began implementing 20mph zones across many of the county's villages in 2023 with the aims of improving safety and reducing noise and pollution.

A report for councillors suggested that reducing the limit in Hilton from 30mph to 20mph would encourage people to choose "healthier and more sustainable transport modes, such as walking and cycling".

It said the move would be a "relatively cost-effective way to improve road safety".

'Little enforcement'

But the report also acknowledged there appeared to be "mixed views" on the policy in the village, with roughly an equal number of people supporting and objecting to the plan. It added that council officers recognised that "there will be little enforcement" of the new rules.

Traffic calming measures could be considered, "subject to funding and local support", it said, while Speedwatch offered a "practical way of encouraging drivers to respect speed limits in rural areas where full police enforcement is unlikely to be a high priority".

Other places in Cambridgeshire with village-wide 20mph zones include Burwell, Great Wilbraham, Harlton, Orwell, Wicken and Willingham.