In the matter of the village roads (excluding the B1049), I’m not sure a blanket 20mph limit is necessary. Maybe on the High Street, Station Road and New Road. Elsewhere, maybe not. I would be swayed to support it everywhere if, as one chap suggested, the 20mph limit replaced the accursed speed bumps and chicanes we currently suffer.

As for the B1049 itself, I am wholly unconvinced that the 40mph limit is the problem. The anecdotes of accidents and problems through Histon and Impington would indicate that the problem isn’t the motorist obeying the 40mph limit, but the late night minority that decide to race at 70mph+ through the village. Dropping the speed limit won’t stop this problem. I would support enforcement of the current limit, not dropping it to 30mph.

I don’t think the speed limits should be dictated by an imagined worse case scenario, as if taken to the extreme every road in the country would be set at 10mph. There has to be a balance with the practicality of moving traffic along what is, whether we like it or not, a significant arterial road. The 40mph limit suits its design. Maybe the crossings can be changed to give a higher priority to pedestrians. And if teenagers on their bikes are not following the rules of the road, the road planners shouldn’t have to change the roads to suit people who are unpredictable and irresponsible. It wouldn’t be tolerated by a motorist, so why by a secondary school cyclist who, by that age, should know better?

On the positive side though, the Cottenham-Histon cycle path money is very good news, and of everything that was discussed I think this is the most urgent issue that needs to be addressed. I don’t like the implication that cycle paths can give, that the cyclist should not be on the road (as demonstrated by Mr Howard Warren’s comment elsewhere on this site), but along this stretch it will make life significantly easier and safer.

I’ve already posted a couple of times to this site, so apologies for yet another. I could not see a counter petition at the meeting one could sign against the proposal, so this is the means by which I’d like to register my opinion. 20mph in the village – maybe (instead of speed bumps etc – yes); 30mph on the B1049 – no.

Thank you.

PS. It was interesting to hear why the no entry into Station Road from the High Street experiment was rescinded. I was under the impression it was only because of pressure from traders. If the increased congestion was as bad as reported, that seems like a better reason. Still a shame though – that part of the road was so much easier to use when the four wheeled traffic was all but one way.

Cars regularly travel way in excess of this limit. Lorries make my house shake as they hit the lumps and bumps on the road, this would also be reduced if they weren’t travelling so quickly in the small hours and they are forced to stick to the limits.

I get the impression most drivers feel that 30 limits mean they can get away with up to 40. Our 40mph limit mean they feel they can do 50mph. Most people break the limits but only by so much. While I can’t ever see them being enforced I can see that a drop will mean the majority will go slower even if they do still choose to break the limit.

Going through Histon at 30 instead of 40mph will add how much to a journey time, practically nothing.