Councillor backs demands from residents for extended 20mph zone in town near Milton Keynes

A Woburn Sands Councillor is backing demands from residents for an extended 20mph zone in the town.

Cllr David Hopkins represents the Danesborough and Walton Ward which includes the town of Woburn Sands. And he will be presenting a petition signed by over 400 local residents to a full MK City Council meeting on Wednesday (15/3) calling for a 20mph zone to be installed covering the Bow Brickhill Road, Hardwick Road, and the Leys areas of the town.

The signatures have been collected by local residents and passed to Cllr Hopkins (who also serves as a Woburn Sands Town Councillor) for presentation at the MK City Council meeting.

Cllr Hopkins said: “In a recent survey of local people in Woburn Sands, 82% of those who responded supported a uniform reduction of the speed limit to 20MPH across the whole of the town.”

The petition is signed by 411 local people, including more than 170 residents who actually live on either The Leys, Hardwick Road, Bow Brickhill Road or on Tidbury Close, Hardwick Place, Hardwick Mews and Woodland Way which adjoin those routes.

Cllr Hopkins added: “Reducing the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph on these busy roads would benefit all residents of Woburn Sands and its neighbouring communities through:

- Making these roads less attractive to speeding through traffic and rat runners, decreasing traffic volumes

- Increasing road safety for all, encouraging cyclists back onto the roads and children to all or cycle to local school with knock on positive health consequences for all

- Reducing air pollution locally

- Reducing the stressful local disruption and traffic noise

- Benefiting a local children’s nursery (Larchfield Day Nursery) with improved road safety and again reduced noise and air pollution

- Leading to a more pleasant, healthy, and less stressful living environment in Woburn Sand and thus

- Attracting visitors in to use local facilities including shops, cafes, restaurants, the library, and other businesses

- Encouraging people to leave their cars at home and walk or cycle

- Improving community cohesion and opening up safer links between the built up and rural (Greensands Ridge) parts of the Parish

- Encouraging nature networks and increasing biodiversity in the town.