A STRAIGHT 50mph speed limit could be introduced along part of the A140 in a bid to improve road safety.Suffolk County Council is to discuss plans to introduce the experimental speed limit on the road following calls from residents living along the Ipswich to Norwich route to improve safety.

A STRAIGHT 50mph speed limit could be introduced along part of the A140 in a bid to improve road safety.

Suffolk County Council is to discuss plans to introduce the experimental speed limit on the road following calls from residents living along the Ipswich to Norwich route to improve safety.

Since March last year the Evening Star and our sister paper, the Norwich Evening News, have joined forces to call for safety improvements along the road which would include low speeds in high dangerous areas.

The council project could see the Suffolk stretch of the road monitored for 18 months to assess its impact on speed and accident reduction. If the measure proves successful, it would be made permanent.

The news comes six days after an accident on the road killed a 22-year-old student. Her death was the 80th fatality in the last 21 years.

Alisa Biddlecombe was driving her Vauxhall Nova along the route when it was in collision with a Mitsubishi Spacewagon on Saturday .

Liberal Democrat leader Peter Monk, county council portfolio holder for public protection, said: "We are working towards reducing speeds and improving safety along the A140.

"People ask us to make the road safer and this is a way of doing that. The big killer is speed. People will know 50mph is not 60mph and will therefore not creep up to 70mph.

"The majority of people should adjust their journey times accordingly but you cannot legislate against the idiot. The impact of this speed limit maybe lessened if somebody drives stupidly.

"Roads in themselves don't kill it's the users on them."

The council is also considering plans to reduce speed limits in Brome, Stonham Aspel and Stonham Parva.

If there are no objections, this could mean a new 40mph limit through Brome and a 30mph limit with 40mph buffer zones in Stonham Aspel and Stonham Parva.

A further speed limit is due to be advertised for Brockford Street to reduce the existing 40mph restriction to 30mph with 40mph buffer zones.

Permanent safety cameras have been introduced at Brome and on Angel Hill in Earl Stonham. The police actively enforce speed along the A140 using mobile cameras.

The experimental 50mph speed limit is due to be discussed at a council committee in the Autumn and could be in force before the end of the year.

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