Campaigners fight speedy motorists

2:50pm Tuesday 14th August 2012 in News By Sophia Sleigh, Reporter

Campaigners fight speedy motorists Campaigners fight speedy motorists

A group has started a campaign to stop speeding on a busy Sutton road.

Kathy O’Reilly, 73, from Sutton grew fed up of cars breaking the 20 mph speed limit on Cavendish Road and began a petition asking for controls on the road.

77 signatures later Sutton South Councillor’s Heather Honour and Richard Clifton presented the petition to Sutton Council on July 16.

Ms O’Reilly said: "It’s madness - they just use this road like a race track.

"I’ve been here for three years.

"Many of the residents in the road - when I got their signatures - said they have reported this several times but had never got a reply.

"The speed bumps mean absolutely nothing.

"It’s very dangerous though - many people here are elderly and are worried about crossing the road.

"It’s no good putting a crossing in - you worry for your life."

Ms O’Reilly used to be a carer and said she understands the problems speeding cars can cause for the elderly wanting to cross the road.

She said: "You take your life in your hands - some can hardly see."

Cavendish Road has a number of blocks of sheltered housing for the elderly and it is those who are particularly worried by the speed of traffic.

The Sutton South Ward has one of the highest concentrations of elderly people in Sutton. The petition has now been referred to the South Sutton, Cheam and Belmont local committee meeting which will take place on October 11 at St Dunstans School in Cheam at 7pm.

Coun Richard Clifton said: "There is no doubt that the traffic moves very fast down Cavendish Road despite the speed limit, and we would not have a petition signed by 77 residents unless there was real concern.

"I have asked the Council's traffic engineers to take a good look at the problem and see if there are solutions."

Comments(11)

Sutton53 says...
3:58pm Tue 14 Aug 12

Langley Park Road is exactly the same. It is a nightmare and there are no crossings for pedestrians. People are encouraged to walk their children to School or the secondary school children are encouraged to walk and cycle to School, but they have to stand and wait for someone to stop and let them cross or if cycling, they risk being knocked off their bikes. The road-humps mean nothing in Langley Park Road. It is a known rat-run through to Wallington, Carshalton and Banstead avoiding Sutton's one-way-system via the Brighton Road. Albion Road, which has no road-humps, is used as a race-track as well. I have complained to the Council on numerous occasions about the speed of the traffic for years and got told there were no funds for any crossings. Bearing in mind we have a large number of elderly and disabled of various ages, some in wheelchairs, in our area, surely the Council would sit up and take note, but they couldn't give two-hoots. It isn't rocket-science to see what is needed. Perhaps the 'Council' should drop one of their more fanciful ideas for the High-Street and channel that money into something more constructive and beneficial for the Community in South Sutton. It would also make it safer for the cyclists if the traffic speed and pedestrian safety on our roads is made a priority. The popularity of cycling is high since the Olympics and quite a few of us visited Box Hill to witness the events and more people are as a result inspired to cycle.

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Elle81 says...
4:28pm Tue 14 Aug 12

Queenswood Ave in Wallington is exactly the same, it's used to avoid Croydon Road. People speeding up & down, during rush hours it becomes so jammed it doesn't move. Trying to get onto your driveway or park outside your house is a joke! Coaches, large lorries & other heavy goods vehicles use the road at all hours. A petition has been sent to the council in the past with well over 100 residents signatures, twice I believe, but nothing gets done about it, they just say they haven't got any money & it's not priority. My car has been hit on two occasions while parked, I have almost been hit cars countless times. Once I had to park with the passenger side facing the road as I was unable to turn the car around & whilst getting my daughter out in her car seat a driver couldn't wait and grazed the side of her seat I was holding! But peoples lives are not a priority hey Sutton Council!!!

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Binsanity says...
8:29pm Tue 14 Aug 12

"Oh Please".
Have you seen the state of that lot in the photographs, I'd be speeding away if i saw them on the pavement. "Sutton 53", a cyclist, saw that one coming. "Elle 81 is unable to turn around in the road", please. Sutton Council can't hold your hands all the time, you need to learn to be ,cyclists, pedestrians and drivers that can at least do a three point turn. Don't judge us good drivers on your own short fallings.

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exa_cordon says...
9:39pm Tue 14 Aug 12

Binsanity wrote:
"Oh Please".
Have you seen the state of that lot in the photographs, I'd be speeding away if i saw them on the pavement. "Sutton 53", a cyclist, saw that one coming. "Elle 81 is unable to turn around in the road", please. Sutton Council can't hold your hands all the time, you need to learn to be ,cyclists, pedestrians and drivers that can at least do a three point turn. Don't judge us good drivers on your own short fallings.
if everyone did 20, they'd only find something else to moan about anyway

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Sutton53 says...
11:23pm Tue 14 Aug 12

Binsanity wrote:
"Oh Please".
Have you seen the state of that lot in the photographs, I'd be speeding away if i saw them on the pavement. "Sutton 53", a cyclist, saw that one coming. "Elle 81 is unable to turn around in the road", please. Sutton Council can't hold your hands all the time, you need to learn to be ,cyclists, pedestrians and drivers that can at least do a three point turn. Don't judge us good drivers on your own short fallings.
You ask us not to judge 'us good drivers'....however you are perfectly happy to judge, and insult, a group of people from a photo in a newspaper. This is highly disrespectful to a group of elderly, disabled and young residents. What makes you think that you are better than them?
For some bizarre reason you assume that I am a cyclist and that Elle 81 cannot drive....I can only presume that you have some sort of magic sixth sense that enables you to see into peoples lives from a few words. I am not a cyclist, I just have the ability to understand the needs of others - something you appear to totally lack. Knock the initial letter off your nom de plume and it just about sums up your comment.

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Elle81 says...
9:22am Wed 15 Aug 12

Hear hear Sutton53.
Binsanity obviously doesn't have to put up with living on a once quite road that is now used a main A road. I have nowhere in my statement said that ALL drivers are bad. I simply cannot turn in my road sometimes due to the volume of traffic, not because I cannot drive.
If we are going to judge I would say Binsanity is someone who thinks that they are the worlds best driver, but also has such huge insecurities they feel that they have to comment on other peoples opinions, be rude & arrogant, & try to make others feel silly just to make themselves feel that little bit better than everyone else. Sad really!

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Tubby Jim says...
9:22am Wed 15 Aug 12

hasn't a recent survey shown that casualties have dramatically increased where 20 MPH speed limits have been introduced? also the environmental impact on the air has been worsened due to the fact that vehicles idling at low speeds produce far worse emissions, if anything speeds would be increased and education should be implemented to warn pedestrians of the dangers of road safety, at 45MPH speed limit should be introduced, even if a 5 MPH limit was introduced there would still be casualties.One would want a reinforced 4x4 with extra strong bull bars if one was to collide with the fat obese beardy with the Zimmer Frame!

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gkcollier says...
8:46pm Wed 15 Aug 12

Well I am the Granddaughter of Kathy O'Reilly & Im sure if it was one of your relatives Binsanity or exa_cordon . . . young or old, Im sure you would have alot to say about it!!! My disabled Husband & 2 young daughters have all nearly been run-over by idiots speeding down that road! Speed limits are obviously there for a reason. How would you feel if one of your relatives was shaken & terrified to cross a road because of pratts who cant obide by the law!! For you to verbally attack people for trying to improve their living environment is pathetic!! Tubby Tim, Im sure your no oil painting!! So what is the point in making a childish comment about the obviously old, disabled man in the photo!! I'm PROUD of my Nan & all the other residents for making a stand against what is right. So if you've got nothing mature & helpful to stay then keep your idiotic comments to yourself!!!

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Michael Pantlin says...
10:29pm Wed 15 Aug 12

We already have several 20mph zones in Sutton and could do with more as long as they are monitored and enforced. 20mph is fast enough on narrow congested roads. The inpatient motorists hiding their faces behind their (darkened) windows should just get up earlier and allow themselves more time and stop regarding every other road user as an impedance to their journey to be derided and abused.

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Margaret_Hale says...
10:19am Thu 16 Aug 12

So 2 LibDem councillors are jumping on a bandwagon and presenting a petition to their own LibDem council.

A bit like Paul Burstow campaigning against his own government!

Do they think we are stupid?

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Binsanity says...
3:32pm Thu 16 Aug 12

None of this would have anything to do with a lib-dem councilor living on Cavendish Road, would it. The same councilor who had a grit-bin sited outside a block of flats half way down the said road and then required a photo shoot of himself beside said bin. Jumping on a band wagon and self glorication, only in lib-dem Sutton. Speed humps of correct height and systematically sited as is the case across the country would placate all. The diversity of the population of Cavendish Road is an average of any road in the country, others can cope and adapt, whats your problem?

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