RESIDENTS in Abridge are continuing their campaign for traffic calming measures despite being told they are only 16th on a list of sites needing 'immediate attention'.

Campaigner Peter Martin, of New Farm Drive, said the measures are particularly needed in Ongar Road by the village hall. He said: "We witness elderly and young children, including my son, crossing the road every day to use the surgery and pre-school facilities at the village hall.

"Traffic speeds average about 40 to 50mph. We can't wait for a fatality to occur, we have to act now."

Lamborne parish council, which has voiced its concerns to the district and county councils in the past, has also extended its support.

Councillor John Filby said: "This has been an on-going problem for years. When we built the village hall our first concern was for people crossing the road to come to the hall.

"We wrote to the district and county councils about our concerns but apart from traffic police monitoring speed at times, nothing else has been done."

Mr Martin wrote to the district council to ask whether it would consider speed cameras in Ongar Road, only to be told to contact the county council.

He was also told an assessment had been carried out based on factors including vehicle speed, traffic volume, and the number of accidents. According to that assessment, Ongar Road was 16th in the list of sites needing immediate attention.

Mr Martin was also warned that new areas might be added to the list in the future if they score higher than Ongar Road.

Mr Martin, who intends to write to the highways department at the county council, said: "We realise speed humps are not a viable solution because of emergency services, but extra signage could be used to alert drivers or the road could be widened to accommodate zebra crossings.

"Speed cameras, in my opinion, would be the most effective measure."

November 22, 2001 8:48