Cllr Geoff Brodie shares this latest news. Ed
Newport and Carisbrooke members of the IW Council are calling on the Council to fund speed control measures at gateway points to the town.
In particular Staplers Rd and Long Lane, but also Fairlee Rd, Blackwater Rd, Clatterford Rd and Whitcombe Rd.
Concern over speeds
Residents at the top of Long Lane and Staplers Rd, both residential roads, have been concerned at the speed of traffic entering and leaving the town for many years. A recent survey by Island Roads suggested that speed control measures would be beneficial to the safety of local residents. However, as ever, money to introduce these is the usual problem.
Brodie: Many people find it unsafe
Geoff Brodie, IW Councillor for Newport East, who represents residents in the Long Lane/Buckbury Lane area said,
“Many people in this area walk and try to cross these roads to catch buses or visit family and friends nearby. They find it very unsafe and they have had enough of putting their lives at risk.
“It is time that County Hall woke up to the myriad traffic problems in our town. Pedestrians and other road users have as many rights as motorists.”
Price: The roads are becoming more dangerous all the time
Matt Price, IW Councillor for Newport North, who shares Long Lane and Staplers Road with Cllr Geoff Brodie said,
“Both Staplers and Long Lane are becoming more dangerous all the time. There are various points along both of these roads where there have been accidents and near misses. We need some speed reduction measures to be introduced as soon as possible.”
He went on to say,
“I have the same issues along the whole of Fairlee Road where some drivers just drive way beyond the speed limits and often then rat-run too fast through Cross Lane and Halberry Lane. These roads lead from busy residential areas to Primary and Secondary schools and need to be made safe.”
Support from other councillors
Other Newport and Carisbrooke IW Councillors, John Hobart, Julie Jones-Evans and Shirley Smart also support this call.
Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council, of which Cllrs Brodie and Price are also members, has been calling for a 20mph limit throughout the town for some years, but all to no avail so far. This would also help address speeding in through roads like Trafalgar Rd and Carisbrooke High St.
There are also many lanes and narrow roads around the outskirts of Newport and Carisbrooke which only have either 40mph or national speed limit (60mph) restrictions when they are not only dreadfully narrow, but also have many blind bends. For example, Burnt House Lane, Blacklands Lane and Marvel Lane.
In conclusion Cllr Brodie and Cllr Price both agreed,
“Road safety in and around Newport has been ignored for too long. We must all work collectively together to try and tackle this problem.”
