Slow down, you move too fast!

MOTORISTS could be forced to slow their speed to 20mph to stop an historic market town being turned into "a race track".

Woodbridge town council is concerned about the increase in lorries going through the town centre, a rise in speed by car drivers and extra dangers for pedestrians and shoppers.

Councillors are particularly concerned that Ipswich Road and Quayside are being turned into "a race track" and that motorists are not using the A12 to bypass the town.

They warn that Woodbridge's historic streets are becoming clogged with traffic and when vehicles can move they are being driven too fast.

Now they are to ask Suffolk County Council to erect signs to stop vehicles above 7.5 tonnes from entering the town centre apart from those servicing businesses.

They also want highways officers to consider the introduction of a 20mph speed limit although further consultation is required to decide the geographical area covered by the lower limit.

Cliff Cocker, town and district councillor, told the town council meeting: ''We are all concerned at the increase in heavy traffic through this town. They are using the link road and it is now becoming a race track for a lot of heavy traffic which does not need to transit the town and they are using it as a by-pass.

''A 30mph limit does not seem to keep some people down to below 40, and let us hope that a 20mph limit would keep them down to 25,'' he said.

This is the third time in the last eight years that the town council has considered slowing the traffic. For pedestrians the speed at which they are hit is critical.

At 20mph, only one in 20 is killed. Most injuries are slight and three out of 10 suffer no injury. At 30mph, nearly half are killed and at 40mph, nearly all are killed.