Village 30: lower speed limits in Hampshire villages

In Autumn 2008 the County Council introduced a maximum speed limit of 30mph in 39 Hampshire villages.

In 2009 a further 73 villages will have speed limits on their roads set at 30 miles per hour in the second phase of the Village 30 programme. This will make 30 mph the norm in nearly all villages around the county.

Phase Two of Village 30 from April 2009

79 villages where the new 30mph speed limit will apply

District	Village	District	Village
Basingstoke & Deane	Ashford Hill & Headley Axford Baughurst Bradley Bramley Corner Burghclere Cliddesden Echinswell Mortimer West End Newtown Overton Ramsdell Sherborne St John Silchester Stratfield Saye	East Hampshire	Beech Binsted East Tisted Farringdon Finchdean Four Marks Froxfield Headley Headley Down Langrish Medstead Oakhanger Passfield Ropley Rowlands Castle Standford West Tisted
New Forest	Bransgore Brockenhurst Cadnam & Bartley East Boldre East End Hordle Hyde Ibsley Lymington Woodside Marchwood Netley Marsh Norleywood Sandleheath Sway	Hart	Eversley Ewshot Long Sutton Lower Common Mattingley Winchfield
Winchester	Bishop’s Sutton Cheriton Denmead Durley Itchen Stoke Micheldever Station East Stratton Sparsholt	Test Valley	Belbins Broughton Carters Clay Goodwood Clatford Houghton Leckford Longparish Michelmersh & Timsbury Monxton Picket Piece Over Wallop Tangley Wherwell

Phase One of Village 30: September - December 2008

39 villages where the new 30mph speed limit now applies

Ampfield	Enham Alamein	Old Alresford
Ashurst	Fritham	Soberton and Newtown
Avon, Sopley and Ripley	Godshill	South Warnborough
Boarhunt	Hale	Stroud
Braishfield	Headbourne Worthy	Upper Wield
Bramshaw and Furzley	Highclere	Upton Grey
Breamore	Itchen Abbas	Wellow
Brook	Kingsley	Weston Patrick
Colden Common	Kingsley	Whitehill and Bordon
Copythorne	Littleton	Woodgreen
Corhampton	Lower Weald	-
East Worldham	Mottisfont	-
Enham Alamein	Newfound	-

Why has the County Council introduced the new 30mph speed limit in these villages?

Many people are concerned about traffic speed in rural areas, particularly in villages where residents want to reduce traffic dominance and so enhance quality of life.

Revised Government guidance on setting speed limits states that "villages should have comparable speed limits to similar roads in urban areas" meaning that a 30mph limit should be the norm in villages. ("Setting Local Speed Limits", Department for Transport Circular 01/2006).

It is therefore now a County Council Cabinet priority that rural villages which meet the required criteria should have a 30mph speed limit where the people living there want this to happen.

Criteria for inclusion in the Village 30 initiative

For the purposes of the initiative, the definition of a village was set as one having 20 or more houses within a distance of 600 metres.

Community evidence was required in order to establish the level of demand for the introduction of a 30mph limit. Many village residents outlined reasons including the strength of feeling for reduced limits, particular dangers due to the nature of the road, and the fears and concerns of the community generally.