A petition has been launched on the ‘Number 10 website’ calling for reduced speeds on narrow country lanes across the UK.

Many local road users especially those that use the Parish for recreational purposes are concerned how unsafe our rural lanes are becoming. Continual restrictions and traffic volumes along some of the major routes through the area are forcing motorist to seek-out alternative routes. And these alternative routes are our country lanes, which incidentally, have fewer restrictions, less statutory speed restrictions and fewer pavements than the main routes.

When you consider that mostly our narrow country lanes were developed for the passage of horse and cart it ‘s no wonder that inconsiderate speeding motorist can’t handle the narrow widths, blind corners, high hedges and hill summits etc etc.

The campaign was started by the chairman of a Norfolk Parish Council in a personal capacity. Like our village roads, their village has single vehicle width narrow lanes, and like he, we are seeking support from groups that enjoy the use of this sort of lane, both as motorist and recreationally. Many horse riders in our village are concerned about traffic speed.

The petition is aimed at any user group, including motorists, but will be of particular concern to those who cycle, walk and ride horses in the countryside.

30 MPH speed restrictions and sympathetic traffic calming is an urgent need for many villages through-out the country.

Sign the petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/countrylanes/