Who would like to see the back of the speed humps in wildern Lane?

No keep them.......its the only way to slow people down. Fast traffic down that road combined with the steep camber is dangerous for the school kids. Blue Circle buses by the way are the worst offenders. If traffic is not calmed I believe that someone, possibly a child, will end up in an Emergency Department/ICU sooner or later.

Both the speed humps in Wildern Lane and the pinch points in Maunsell Way have decreased average traffic speeds in both roads, which was the objective in their introduction.  Sadly, the County Council which is the authority responsible for our roads, does not support variable speed limits.

Thank you for your comments Keith, and welcome to the discussion. Firstly can you tell us your position within the County Council? Secondly would you personally support variable speed limits?

Curious to know what "not significant" actually means Keith. Such phrases always set alarm bells ringing...!

I'll admit that when I see a "20 is plenty" sign, when doing my job, I slow down if I'm in the midst of the school run but outside those times I think "20 is plenty, but thirty is legal -stuff the nanny state..!", so I (legally) drive past at 30 - if road conditions and other hazards permit.

Speed limits of 20mph at times when there's no reasonable justification for them, just alienate motorists...

Mmmmmmm I would regard any incident involving road safety as significant! However, at least you and the County Council seem to be on the same page. My Children attend Botley C of E, I don't see any humps on the main road through Botley though, my Children will be attending Wildern when old enough so I have a vested interest in road safety on this strech of road, I would argue that the Botley road has more traffic on it at school times too which goes much faster & includes all forms of transport...... my position stands, there is no need for humps throughout the whole stretch of Wildern. I would be in favour of a better solution, that appeals to parents, children, residents and motorists.

Wildern lane seems to be covered be a mandatory 20mph limit, given the type of signage, rather than an advisory "20 is plenty".

So do we really need speed humps as well as the madatory speed limit: don't forget that some residents find the noise of the repeated thumping over the speed humps a problem.

Whilst Wildern School is open from 8am to 10pm, there are clearly some peak times, i.e. when lollipop people are needed. That's the time when the 20mph limit is unquestionably justified. Outside of those times, I'm not persuaded it is necessary (but I observe it).

As for the pinch points along Maunsell Way, can I infer that there hasn't been a reduction in accidents either...?

I'm confused, I understand that the Liberal Dem's proposed the 6000 homes development at Boorly Green, but you mention that this would cause further traffic issues in Botley. Before proposing the development, perhaps you should have considered the impact on road safety and volume first. As Botley is a small village, articulated lorries should'nt be allowed through it anyway. I agree with regard to the noise and disturbance that vehicles hitting the humps cause in wildern, as residents have told me so.

Yes ToryPaul2010. I've seen children toddle obliviously across the road here when out and about in the van, and I've only been doing the job for 3.5 months. Fortunately I was alert...

Parents always seem to drag them back and suitably admonish/educate the children, but straying a couple of feet into the road is all it takes for an accident...

The speed humps are a problem because;

1. They don't work: Mums in their 4x4s doing the school run can sail over them completely untroubled, as can refuse lorries, buses and all larger vehicles.

2. Some of the humps are quite fierce, potentially causing damage to the smaller vehicles, superminis etc...

3. The suspension thumping creates a lot of noise, 24 hous a day troubling the residents who live next to them..

4. There's a mandatory 20mph limit, so speed humps are unnecessary. All you've really got to do to enforce 20mph is install an average speed camera in Wildern Lane, but that's another argument...!

Of course roads are there to enable us to get from A to B as quickly as possible. If it is decreed that as quickly as possible means 20mph, so be it, but we mustn't lose sight of what the roads are built to do. Get us from A to B....

Maybe easing the fiercest humps, there is one particularly nasty one that I can think of, would be a good starting point.

And I notice that they were replaced in the last year or so, once again without any sort of consultation on whether they actually worked or not, whether they created unforseen problems or whether HedgeEnders still wanted them. As has been said elsewhere, that lack of consultion needs to change too...

Might there be some merit in HCC consulting in future...?

If we've got to make savings in public expenditure over the next few years, not least to get my Council Tax bill down, why replace worn-out humps if the consensus is that they are not liked or wanted or fit for purpose...?

Obviously it would need to be an comparatively inexpensive consultation. Not spending half a million on consultants to do the research...!

Not all 4x4s are driven by mums on the school run TGR!

"1. They don't work: Mums in their 4x4s doing the school run can sail over them completely untroubled, as can refuse lorries, buses and all larger vehicles."

and reg_nerps

"Speed bumps are a small price to pay for preventing that kind of incident if drivers can't be trusted to obey the limit (which regrettably, they can't)."

They may be a small price to pay but they clearly are not working as they should as the comments have shown. Far too many vehicles have been observed driving over them at 30mph or more for us to say they "work". Something needs to be thought of which has more of an impact - what that is I can't say but it's obviously not the existing configuration of speed humps.

Neither traffic calming system slows down white van driver or buses - both of whom seem to behave like they have a law unto themselves. They can hurdle speed bumps and are aggressive through the pinch points...I actually think the pinch points are a disaster waiting to happen.

Something needs to slow them down though.

I have one lad at Botley, one lad at Berrywood, who goes to Wildren next year. I live one side of Maunsell Way, my ex lives the other - I'd really like to see traffic slowed.

I drove through one of those 'no signs, no kerns, no road markings' vilalges the other day - it was kind of wierd, but I did slow down without being told...