Villagers near Danbury Common, Essex worry about fatal accidents if the 60mph speed limit is not reduced.
Locals feel these speeds are too high. Many homes are right by the road, and they fear a fatal accident is coming soon. They want thirty mph where it is now forty and forty mph where it is sixty.
Charlotte Bush spoke for the residents’ group, which includes over fifty-five homes and a pub. She said current limits don’t match county rules. The area has families, kids, and older people. Walkers, cyclists, and riders also use it.
The roads have blind turns and small side streets. Parking and narrow spots make it worse. A popular pub and more walkers add risk. Electric cars make it harder to hear cars. Roads don’t have sidewalks; people are exposed, especially kids getting on buses.
Surveys show most drivers stay within legal limits. The problem, they feel, is the limits themselves. Limits do not fit the road conditions or the people living there.
Bush said recent deaths have increased their worry. A boy died in Stock after being hit by a car, and a car crash also killed one man near Cock Clarks, sending three others to the hospital.
Bush said they fear someone will die, seeing it recently in nearby villages. They want actions to stop it from repeating.
Tom Cunningham said they could repeat past work, like their assessment of Woodhill Road and Bicknare Road. They can count traffic again to see how drivers behave now. Then, they can decide what to do next.