Introducing 20mph limits in Wallingford will cut out the “careless and rapid” driving which blights the town, a county councillor has claimed.

Cllr Pete Sudbury’s comments came after Wallingford Town Council took a first step towards introducing the speed restrictions across the town.

The representative for Wallingford on Oxfordshire County Council said he fully supported the council’s decision.

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“Wallingford is used by drivers as a cut through from Shillingford to Didcot to avoid the bypass so there are a lot of cars in a hurry driving carelessly and rapidly,” said Cllr Sudbury.

“20mph limits discourage that to some extent. Even if you don’t respect it, the car in front will.”

At a meeting last Monday (September 25), the council agreed to ask Oxfordshire County Council to consult Wallingford residents on the introduction of a 20mph limit.

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Oxford Mail: Wallingford Town Council has taken a first step towards introducing 20mph limits across the town

The motion was proposed by Cllr Katharine Keats-Rohan and passed by a majority vote.

It comes in a week when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to stop 20mph zones as he declared he was “slamming the brakes on the war on motorists.”

But Cllr Sudbury said there was no such war.

“We are all motorists sometimes, and cyclists and pedestrians, and we all live in streets. This division into groups is toxic," he said.

“As a human being, I have an interest in people not being killed on our roads.”

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But the owner of a taxi service in Wallingford claimed that a blanket limit was not the way forward and that it would affect his business

“In a school area, I think it is ok, but if there is no school and it is a clear road, then 20mph is not needed,” said the owner of Wallingford A1 Taxi Service, who asked not to be named.

 “It is obvious that it will cause traffic jams and it will take a bit more time to get to jobs.

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“Lots of customers have been talking to me about it and obviously the council feels that it is needed. I think some places need it and some places don’t.

“Some places where there is nothing, just houses and no children around, it is not justified.”

After the consultation, the town council will decide whether to apply to the county council to introduce the limits.

A final decision could be made in December 2023 or January 2024 by Cllr Andrew Gant, the county council’s cabinet member for highway management.

It is part of a long-running scheme by the county council to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by replacing 30mph areas with 20mph areas where there is local support.

The limits have been adopted in towns and villages across Oxfordshire, most recently in Wantage.