Following the recent decision by the County Council to introduce a 20 mph speed limit across the majority of Wantage roads, we thought it would be helpful to give some background and context.
In early 2022, the Town Council consulted with the public through a survey regarding a “20 is Plenty” scheme for Wantage. The primary objective of the scheme was to enhance road safety by reducing speed limits, fostering smoother traffic flow, minimizing accidents, and promoting confidence in cycling and walking.
Additionally, the town’s overall safety, ease of navigation, attractiveness, and friendliness were expected to improve. In support of this endeavour, the Council released a survey with the purpose of gathering your opinions on the proposal and ascertaining community support.
The fundamental principles of this proposal included:
Lowering the speed limit to 20 mph outside all schools within Wantage, in residential areas, and in the Town Centre. Maintaining a 30 mph speed limit along the east/west link through Mably Way, with exceptions near school zones.
A concise summary of the results was briefly mentioned in the June 2022 Town Newsletter, indicating that there were 390 respondents. However, please find the comprehensive survey results available through the link below.
The survey encompassed various comments, all of which were meticulously reviewed and considered. These comments ranged from calls to expand the scheme, address parking concerns, enhance traffic enforcement, and even requests to refrain from implementing the scheme.
We would like to express our gratitude to those that responded for your valuable input. As a clear majority expressed support for the scheme, the Town Council forwarded the details to the County Council for their consideration in the implementation process.