Leek mayor says council should consider 20mph zones

Mayor Matt Swindlehurst said he was not calling for a blanket 20mph speed limit in Leek

A mayor is calling for a review of traffic management in his town, including introducing 20mph zones.

The motion was put forward to Leek Town Council by the mayor, Labour's councillor Matt Swindlehurst.

Residents on some side streets, which are used as "rat runs", say they are "dangerous to walk in," he said.

Staffordshire County Council is to be asked by the town council to look at traffic and road safety measures in Leek.

Mr Swindlehurst said he was not calling for a blanket 20mph limit, but reducing speeds outside schools was an obvious place to start.

He said it would also make sense to bring in the limit on a number of other roads, given the middle of the town is laid out as a Victorian mill town.

'It's sometimes terrifying'

"I could name 50 streets off the top of my head where there should be no chance of people doing 30mph, 20 is a quite realistic speed," Mr Swindlehurst said.

"I live on one of these 'rat runs' and sometimes it is terrifying."

He believes the town is also in need of speed humps and chicanes as well as more pelican crossings.

The town council is to ask the county council to undertake a review of the town's traffic system, including the proposed introduction of 20 mph areas.

David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport at Staffordshire County Council, said: "We take road safety extremely seriously and recognise local concerns about drivers travelling at inappropriate speeds throughout our neighbourhoods.

"We target available resources at road safety interventions that have the greatest impact and we work with communities to find solutions that meet local needs.

"20mph speed limits are just one of a range of measures used by the council to both improve road safety and to create an environment that supports sustainable travel modes, such as walking and cycling."