At a packed meeting in Biddisham last night, residents who live along the A38 through Rooksbridge, Tarnock and Biddisham requested unanimously to improve safety through the villages in which they live.
When put to a vote, everyone at the meeting, which was hosted by Badgworth and Biddisham Parish Council, agreed that pavements both sides of the road are needed and regular crossing points, as well as a 30mph speed limit.
According to Somerset County Council figures, 6.25m vehicles use the road each year, up from 4m in 2002, in which time the number of HGVs on the route has doubled.
The pavement runs along one side of the road only and there are no crossings or islands, cutting people off from each other and from amenities.
A middle school pupil who attended the meeting said, “I speak for all of the children who live along the road. I would love to be able to visit my friends nearby, but it is simply too dangerous to do so.”
Residents also agreed unanimously that if there were pavements on both sides and proper crossings, they would be more minded to cycle or walk - both activities that Somerset County Council wants to promote to reduce the carbon footprint of the county. One Tarnock resident told the meeting that he drives for 15 seconds from his home to the post box, rather than risking crossing the road on foot.
The stretch that starts near the middle of Rooksbridge and ends just beyond the children’s nursery in Biddisham is currently 40mph, but that speed limit is temporary, to accommodate works traffic entering and leaving the Hinkley Connection Project site in Tarnock. As things stand today, the speed limit will be increased to 50mph at the end of February.
The route meets the Department for Transport criteria for a 30mph speed limit, including at least 20 houses within 600m and the presence of a shop and children’s nursery. The DfT’s own advice states: 'Fear of traffic can affect people's quality of life in villages and it is self- evident that villages should have comparable speed limits to similar roads in urban areas. It is therefore government policy that a 30 mph speed limit should be the norm in villages.'
Sedgemoor District Councillor for Axevale Graham Godwin-Pearson, who spoke at the meeting, says, “In recent years we have seen more and more families moving into homes along the route - homes that the average motorist won’t necessarily spot because of hedges, fences and hidden entrances.
“It’s a busy road and treacherous to cross even with the current 40mph speed limit so reverting it to 50mph would be counter-intuitive. The road cuts our communities in half and when people don’t feel safe enough to visit a neighbour on foot, it is clear that something is wrong.”
County Councillor Bob Filmer, who also spoke, says, "It was abundantly clear in the meeting what residents of Biddisham, Tarnock and Rooksbridge want. I am hoping that we can now put the case to the County Council, with the support of the local police."
Enforcement was also discussed - at certain times, a third of all drivers break the speed limit through Tarnock. The top speed recorded in the village during a May 2022 police check was 103mph. Meeting attendees voted unanimously for an average speed camera to deter speeding motorists; a measure that Mark Shelford, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, who also spoke at the meeting, fully supports as a trial for Somerset more widely.
There were three fatalities on the A38 near Biddisham in 2022.
