Avebury locals call for improved road safety to stop "frequent" crashes
Moya Hampson has set up a petition calling for change after her son was hit by a car on the A4361
A Wiltshire mum is calling for improved road safety in and around the Avebury World Heritage Site.
Moya Hampson has set up a petition, saying crashes on the A4361 in the village are "frequent".
The road, which has no pavements, has seen fatalities, and Moya's son was injured on his way to school when he was 15.
Luckily, he was knocked into a hedge, but he suffered a broken arm, damage to a tooth and his ankle, and the car was only doing 30mph.
Moya said the first accident she saw happened within weeks of moving to Avebury.
"I ended up with a car upside down in my drive in the middle of the night that come out of the circle too fast and it bounced from side to side along the road and then was upturned in my drive," she said.
She added that there have been lives lost on the road, with a neighbour having had two fatal crashes happen outside her house in the last two years.
Moya explained that it's a dangerous area with no pathways for pedestrians, saying the risk is heightened for tourists, who may not be familiar with the area, or the cars being on the left hand side of the road.
She told us that there is also very little signage to warn drivers of pedestrians in the area.
Suggestions made in 2015 haven't been actioned
In 2015, the Atkins report set out a number of traffic calming measures, but few of these have happened.
Moya described the report as "hugely expensive", saying it "probably cost more" than carrying out the changes.
The report said more pavements were needed, as well as double white lines on the road to restrict overtaking, while also suggesting the road being narrowed with chevrons on either side.
Moya added that locals would like the speed limit to be reduced to 20mph in the village, although it was dropped to 30mph following a speed limit review by Wiltshire Council.
But the other suggested alterations haven't been made, despite the Atkins report being enhanced in 2019 and Wiltshire Police endorsing the report.
"It feels a bit frustrating," she said, adding "The reason cited for not doing this was lack of funds."
What has happened is reduction of the speed limit to 30mph through the village and the 50mph speed limit extended by approximately 50 metres. But Moya says that's not enough as it doesn't reach guest houses where visitors will stay.
She said that as Swindon and Devizes have grown over the last two decades, it's putting greater strain on country roads connecting the towns, insisting that safety needs to be a priority.
We can support Moya's petition here.
Council welcomes concerns being raised
Wiltshire Council says people should report their concerns to the local Parish Council.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “We understand that some residents have formed an unofficial group to raise concerns. We encourage those concerned to contact their local Parish Council, as we work with those who have been elected to represent the community.”
The Council said additional or alternative signage can be requested through the Parish Council as well, using a ‘Highways Improvement Request Form’, which would be considered by the Marlborough Area Local Highways and Footways Improvement Group (LHFIG).
Cllr Smith also said: "We conducted a speed limit review along the A4361 from Beckhampton to the county boundary in 2019. As a result, the speed limit through Avebury village remains at 30mph, while the limit outside the village was reduced from the national speed limit to 50mph.
“The Avebury World Heritage Site Transport Strategy, completed in 2015, outlines criteria for works within the site boundary and must be considered when developing traffic management options.”