Photo Left to Right – Cllr A Grimes, Suffolk County Cllr Bobby Bennett, Nick Timothy MP, Cllr Mike Lavelle
You may have seen two recent articles in Suffolk News and the East Anglian Daily Times about a recent visit from our MP Nick Timothy, with Suffolk County Councillor Bobby Bennett to hear from the parish council and residents about their concerns over the speed of vehicles through Wickham Street, and our ongoing efforts to bring about a reduction in the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph, consistent with many other settlements along the A143 from Haverhill to Diss.
Suffolk County Council, when asked to comment, said
“Where the parish council disagrees with the comments from officers and still seeks a reduction in the speed limit, they have a further option of paying for a report plus a traffic survey which allows the police, the local county councillor and the parish council to provide comments and officers to provide factual guidance against each of the criteria as to whether or not they can be met.”
Our County Councillor, Bobby Bennett, who supports the parish council in its efforts to bring about a reduction in the speed limit has said
“As your County Councillor I have been campainging with the Parish Council on this issue since being elected. I have arranged for speed surveys to be carried out here and unfortunately, we have not yet be able to progress this as the reduction in speed is not currently supported by the Safety and Speed Team.
I will continue to push for a reduction on this stretch of road as I feel strongly that it should be 30 mph.
I have made a request that the ‘Slow’ markings to be installed in line with the advance warning signs on both sides of the junction and the other markings cleaned and refreshed.
I am in touch with a number of residents on this issue and would be very happy to hear from anyone else – email is best [].
More information about Suffolk’s speed policy is available here – Speed limits – Suffolk County Council https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/…/traffic…/speed-limits
The parish council has also asked for funding through our county councillor’s locality budget for a further speed survey and report to support our request for a reduction in the speed limit.
Whilst writing, I thought it would be helpful to respond to some of the other issues raised in the comments sections on the Community facebook page
- Speed indicator devices and Community Speedwatch, can only operate where speed limits are restricted to 30mph or below
- The parish council did request that it be included in the Suffolk County Council ANPR project which ran in 2023
- A community speedwatch group has recently been set up in Wickhambrook – please contact the clerk if you would be interested in joining as a volunteer
- Quiet Lanes were designated in Wickhambrook as part of a county wide project in 2023 following a consultation with residents. The aim is to :
- benefit everyone who lives in, works in and visits Suffolk
- encourage the use of more active forms of travel such as walking, cycling and horse-riding.
- to improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing through Quiet Lanes; and
- support the drive towards making Suffolk carbon neutral by 2030
Ten lanes were designated in Suffolk, two of which link into Ousden in the north. There were strict criteria on which lanes could be designated, and the lane from Meeting Green to Coltsfoot Green (and Duddery into Wickham Street) were not considered suitable, due to the level of traffic. The designation does not reduce the speed limit, but messaging has been designed to encourage considerate use of the road, so it can be shared and enjoyed by all. The advisory signs show the hierarchy of priority, with pedestrians at the front, and vehicles last.
The parish council’s next meeting is on Thursday 27 February at 7:00pm. Members of the Public are welcome to attend and ask questions. The parish council has one vacancy for a councillor – if you would like to find out more, please contact the clerk.