Police have raised concerns that a new 20mph zone in Ramsey and Bury will not be self-enforcing leading to expectations its officers will need to enforce the lower speed limits.

Cambridgeshire County Council is considering introducing the lower speed limits in the villages to try and improve road safety.

The authority said it recognised some drivers will not slow down, but said the speed limits would be “largely self-enforcing”.

The county council has been working to introduce more 20mph speed limits across Cambridgeshire to try and improve road safety, as well as to encourage people to walk and cycle more, and reduce pollution.

A report published by the authority sets out its plans to create a 20mph zone in Ramsey and Bury, with a 40mph buffer on some of the roads leading into the villages.

The paper said the 20mph speed limit had been requested by Ramsey Town Council and Bury Parish Council.

However, Cambridgeshire Constabulary has raised concerns about the changes.

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The force said: “I understand the overarching rationale behind these lower speed limits, however, I do not agree that all the roads detailed on this proposal will be self-enforcing and thus there may well be an expectation of both the road users and residents, due to either real or perceived poor speed compliance, that policing resources shall be called upon to conduct targeted enforcement.”

The police said they supported the overall strategy and therefore did not object to the whole proposal, but asked for the county council to review some of the roads and whether they are actually suitable for a 20mph speed limit.

County council officers said they had noted these concerns, but said in the interest of “consistency, inclusivity, and clarity” they still recommended the 20mph limit to apply to all the roads.

The report said concerns had also been raised by members of the public that drivers would not stick to the lower speed limits and that there would be “minimal or no enforcement”.

The report said: “It is acknowledged that there will be very little police enforcement of the 20mph zone.

“However, evidence suggests that speeds will be reduced, albeit possibly not to sub-20mph in all roads.

“The width, length and alignment of many of Ramsey and Bury’s ‘minor’ roads naturally encourage low speeds and on-street parking also helps.

“This should ensure that the 20mph speed limit in those types of roads is largely self-enforcing.

“It is accepted that a proportion of drivers disregard speed limits and that it is likely to be the case if the 20mph zone is implemented.

“It is hoped that in time drivers will accept 20mph limits as the default speed limit in built-up areas and adjust their speed accordingly.

“We realise that it may take time for that principle to be accepted by some drivers.”

The report said three people raised concerns that the change could increase collisions.

They said: “If a 20mph zone is created and is not self enforcing or regulated, road users will be given a false sense of security regarding the supposed speed of traffic and accordingly collisions and injuries may well increase rather than the desired outcome.”

However, this was disputed by officers who said slower cars would reduce the severity of any collisions, which they said would create a safer environment.

The report said there was also support from the proposed 20mph zone, including from those running supported accommodation in Ramsey.

They said: “We are a supported living home for adults with autism in Ramsey, and we are increasingly wanting to encourage independence for our service users.

“These measures would mean that we could do this more confidently, allowing our service users greater independent access to the good range of shops and services that Ramsey offers. So I fully support these proposals.”

The proposed 20mph zone is due to be considered later this week (November 9) with a decision expected to be published afterwards on whether the new lower speed limits will be introduced.