HOMEOWNERS will be asked to trim back their hedges as part of the first stage of a five-year action plan to improve road safety in Little Paxton. A draft road safety plan has been formulated by Little Paxton Parish Council as a result of three public meet

HOMEOWNERS will be asked to trim back their hedges as part of the first stage of a five-year action plan to improve road safety in Little Paxton.

A draft road safety plan has been formulated by Little Paxton Parish Council as a result of three public meetings and consultations between residents and councillors.

Parish council, Jenny Gellatly told The Hunts Post the plan "outlines the importance of reducing speed in certain parts of the village, reviewing road signage and taking measures to improve drivers' visibility at some junctions".

The proposals include reducing the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph along Gordon Road and the High Street and installing of speed activated electronic signs.

The council also wants to improve safety on the village's "dangerous junctions", including where the High Street meets Little Paxton Lane and the junction with St James Road and the High Street.

The path opposite the church could also be widened to improve safety for parents with pushchairs.

The first phase will start with the council writing to residents asking them to trim back their hedges and bushes in a bid to improve visibility on the village's roads.

The main areas of concern are the exit from Lakefield Avenue and the exit out of Little Paxton Lane leading onto the Great North Road, the council says.

Cllr Gellatly said: "In parts of the village the safety is so poor it is an accident waiting to happen and we do not want any accidents to happen.

"The village is expanding and the roads need to be made safe for the people who use them."

She added that the council had written to Cambridgeshire County Council in the hope of obtaining funding and support for the plan.

A spokesman for the county said: "We look forward to working with Little Paxton Parish Council on any scheme that they bring forward because they have been proactive in engaging with the community and the county council supports any community based involvement.

"We are happy to meet with them and discuss any future proposals but we obviously have financial constraints."

Although a timescale and costs have not yet been finalised, the parish council has said it is committed to delivering the road safety changes.

Cllr Stanley Codling, who wrote the report with Cllr Derek Eyres, said: "A lot of effort has gone into the report and I am confident that road safety in Little Paxton will improve as a result."

INFORMATION: A copy of the plan can be obtained by contacting Jenny Gellatly on 01480 470193 or e-mailing littlepaxton@hotmail.com