Call made for speed humps to slow drivers down in popular Northumberland village

Further talks are planned to try and come up with a suitable traffic calming scheme in Bamburgh.
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Several suggestions have been made in an attempt to cut the speed of traffic passing through the village but none have been universally supported.

Drivers were clocked speeding at over 50mph through the village’s 30mph zone when a survey was carried out in summer 2019.

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Cllr Andrew Bardgett, vice-chairman of Bamburgh Parish Council, said: “A few months ago a scheme was sent by Northumberland County Council which was to put a pinch on the road south of the village.

Bamburgh.Bamburgh.
Bamburgh.

"I think we all felt uneasy about it because it would require signage, it would have to be lit and it’s quite a way out from the village. It’s in the middle of fields, effectively, so very visible.

“We also thought that while it might slow the traffic down coming into the village it wouldn’t do much for traffic going out. The speeding survey showed that they were the higher speeds.”

The idea of speed cushions was then raised at a further meeting with the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership.

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The parish council has now arranged a joint meeting with both the council and AONB in October to discuss the options further. They have also been invited to make their own suggestions.

“We think we want to see some speed humps along there,” said Cllr Bardgett.

He revealed that a pedestrian versus vehicle survey had been carried out.

"It appears we are just over the threshold where a crossing should be considered,” he revealed.

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“So one of the proposals is for a flat topped hump where the bus stop is at the end of the green which would act as both a crossing and speed deterrent and possibly another one on the corner by the road up to the castle."

The county council has allocated £30,000 towards the traffic calming measures.

Disintegrating rumble strips on the approaches to the village were removed earlier this year.

Traffic speeds at Links Road South (Armstrong Cottages) measured 36.9mph northbound and 39.3mph southbound when the survey was done. There was also speeding on Radcliffe Road and Links Road (Plantation).

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Vehicles were also recorded travelling at speeds of 50.5mph and 49.7mph on Links Road South and Radcliffe Road.

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Councillor calls for 'proper' traffic calming measures to address speeding issue...

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