COUNCILLORS have called for an entire overview of Wellington to see which areas need traffic-calming measures introduced to improve safety and to save lives.

It comes after concerned resident Leary Hasson spoke with members of Wellington Town Council on December 2 asking for something to be done in Waterloo Road.

He has warned that the road is dangerous with speeding motorists and it is a miracle nobody has been killed.

“I have seen young children coming out of school and they are running off down the road and I’m astounded that something hasn’t happened,” he said. “I think it’s important that some of traffic calming is installed because sooner or later something will happen.

“I understand that some people won’t like traffic calming measures for whatever reason, but I’m concerned about the children.”

Mr Hasson has called for a 20mph speed limit to be introduced in the area and has collected more than 250 signatures on a petition supporting the idea.

Councillors had every sympathy with Mr Hasson’s concerns and said that a number of issues contributed to the problems in Waterloo Road.

And Cllr John Thorne added: “I think we need to look at this holistically – look at the whole town and not just this one area.

“It would be very difficult to get a 20mph speed limit introduced – only if we pay for it.”

And Cllr Thorne said that due to the ongoing financial problems facing Somerset Council which is responsible for highway matters, it is likely that more responsibilities will be passed to the town council in years to come.

“In a few years time we will be doing all of this work as Somerset Council won’t be able to afford to do it,” he said. “So we should start looking at it now in readiness for that.”

Cllr Marcus Barr said he did not think that introducing a 20mph speed limit in Waterloo Road would sort out the problems.

“It’s a fact that 20mph speed limits cause more accidents because drivers stop concentrating,” he said. “I don’t think, in any case, that we’d get money from Somerset Council for 20mph speed zones.”

Cllr Andy Govier said: “There are a whole range of issues in that area and the honest truth is that we know the infrastructure down there isn’t up to the job.

“We will have to pay for these things ourselves and funding highways schemes are very expensive. Whatever we think it might cost to do something, we’d probably have to multiply it by five – it’s not small beer.

“I’m in agreement that we need to look holistically at this, but we need to be realistic that traffic calming across the town would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

Councillors agreed that a working party be set-up to look at the wider issues and for work to be taken further by the town council’s community committee and that Kate Brown, of Somerset Council’s highways department, be invited to have a look at the problems facing Waterloo Road.