Swaffham is poised to be Norfolk's first 20mph town
- Published
Swaffham resident Tony White says he hopes the 20mph limit will improve the quality of life for everybody in the 8,300-strong town
The town of Swaffham sits at the top of the East Anglian Brecks and is home to a vibrant market, Georgian architecture and... traffic. Poised to become Norfolk's first 20mph town, what do those who live there hope the town-wide speed limit will bring?
Tony White and his wife Di fell in love with Swaffham - they loved its people, its location and the Grade II listed Georgian house they now call home.
One aspect of their new lives they were less enamoured with, however, was the traffic.
Swaffham sits on the busy A1065, a road heavily used by HGVs, farming vehicles and holiday-makers making their way to the north Norfolk coast.
And despite having a 20mph (32km/h) right outside his home, Mr White doubts the speed limit is paid much attention.
Shortly after they moved to Swaffham in April, Mrs White developed breathing difficulties caused, it is thought, by traffic pollution on their doorstep.
The couple spent thousands of pounds on secondary double-glazing to their sash windows to reduce the noise and increase the air quality inside their home.
But while Mrs White's breathing has improved, Mr White has forged ahead with his efforts to bring a 20mph speed limit across the whole of Swaffham.
The 20mph limit
The first 20mph limit was brought in at Tinsley, Sheffield, in 1991
Graz, in Austria, introduced 30km/h (18.6mph) as the speed limit on all residential streets without traffic calming measures in 1992, external
Several English authorities have implemented 20mph as the default limit for residential streets, including Oxford, Bristol, Warrington and the London Borough of Hackney
From next year, the speed limit in residential areas across Wales will be cut from 30mph to 20mph
Since moving in, Mr White said, there had been a number of collisions and the wall of a nearby house collapsed which, he said, was caused by vibrations on the road.
A survey of camera data in the town found one motorist passing through the town centre - which already has a 20mph limit - at 100mph (160km/h) during the early hours.
"It was all related to speed," he said, "I wanted to find some single goal that everybody could focus on.
"Something needed to be done."
He contacted the 20's Plenty For Us campaign group for advice before staging a meeting which attracted about 30 people and organised a letter drop.
Mr White contacted the 20's Plenty For Us campaign group for advice before staging a meeting which attracted about 30 people
Most in the town want a bypass to remove the through-traffic completely.
Mr White is adamant his proposal is not an either/or situation, but a measure that will improve people's lives immediately rather than waiting for a bypass.
Despite some in Swaffham harbouring doubts about how the limit would be enforced, the idea has been backed by Swaffham Town Council, and Norfolk County Council has agreed to trial the 20mph limit town-wide.
Called an "experimental traffic order", the new town-wide limit is expected to come into force next summer.
"The benefits far outweigh the convenience of somebody who feels they've got to get somewhere a little bit quicker," said Mr White.
The 20mph scheme is expected to cost about £5 per head of population.
"The 20mph will make a nicer environment and it will mean a sensible speed rather than everybody rushing about and the noise and pollution," he continued.
"They've been so downtrodden by wanting a bypass, which just has not happened."
One study has revealed the sheer scale of the traffic going through Swaffham - 72,000 vehicles in a four-week period
One study revealed the sheer scale of the traffic going through Swaffham - 72,000 vehicles in a four-week period.
"We want to make it an environment where you can cycle and walk around," Mr White said.
"This will cover the whole urban area.
"I've seen people walking across the crossing and they are in the middle of the crossing and there are cars going either way.
"You're also helping the environment because the emissions are going down.
"We feel we would be doing our bit for the environment as well.
"There are three schools here and I see the pupils walking by and I worry about them because we've got tractors that go through at up to 50mph."
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Rod King, who founded 20's Plenty for Us some 15 years ago, said he admired the efforts of the people in Swaffham and felt the six-month trial agreed for the town was a "bit timid" and that he feared the evaluation data might not be sufficient to judge the scheme's success or otherwise.
"The county council is saying it will review it after six months and will be looking at speed and casualty data," he said.
"But in terms of driver behaviour, they are not going to be able to measure much in just six months."
He said changing people's behaviour often took far longer than six months and often coincided with life decisions, such as whether or not a couple felt they really needed two cars or a person deciding to cycle or walk to improve their health.
Norfolk County Council said a consultation would run at the same time as the trial and the scheme could be made permanent "depending on feedback".
Helen Warrick-Evans said "this is about the wellbeing of the parents, carers and the children"
Helen Warrick-Evans chairs the governing body at Nicholas Hamond Academy, a secondary school in the town.
She shares Mr White's concerns about the safety of children and parents.
"There are children that cycle, there are children that come in by bus who are picked up in the local villages but the majority of people walk," she said.
"This is about making sure the school is not just a safe place to be but a safe place to go to and come back from as well.
"It will mean better safety, a better environment and better health for everybody.
"20mph is sufficient - people don't need to be rushing about like lunatics, which they currently do because it seems the pace that we all live at.
"People are banging on forever about wellbeing and this is about the wellbeing of the parents, carers and the children.
"Swaffham demographically is built for the elderly.
"But there are more estates being built and it needs to be for the younger people as well and building what we want Swaffham to be."
David Wickerson said the 20mph limit had "near universal support"
David Wickerson, an independent councillor at Breckland District Council and Swaffham resident, is awaiting training to be a Speedwatch volunteer.
"I've been struggling with the issue of speeding and traffic since I moved here 21 years ago," he said.
"There's been lots of ideas, visions and concepts in the past in Swaffham, but actually getting action has been a bit of an issue."
He said the 20mph limit had "near universal support".
"For some years we were above the European level for pollution," he said. "We've got lots of fairly high buildings on either side of the road which stops the pollution from escaping.
"We are a bit better now because we did some re-sequencing on the traffic lights.
"It [the town] is a cut-through with tractors with loads of carrots and onions on the back coming through at a ridiculous speed.
"The 20mph zone we have at the moment is just too short.
"With this 20mph plan, once you hit the outskirts people will know they are in a 20mph zone and they will get used to that.
"You still see people here walking around with masks.
"It is nothing to do with Covid; it is do with breathing issues such as asthma.
"This will reduce not just speed but pollution as well.
"It is a win-win situation."
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