The horrendous accident on Larches Lane last Sunday must not be used to justify the introduction of  speed humps, Larches campaigner, Mark Jewell has said.

A number of passengers were seriously injured last Sunday following a stolen Renault Clio hitting a parked car and colliding with a bus. The stolen vehicle is reported as travelling at high speed on the 20mph estate.

Former Councillor for Larches, Mark Jewell campaigned strongly for 20mph speed limits on residential roads without peppering the whole estate with speed humps. Following his election in 2009 the Larches estate was one of three areas across Lancashire to pilot the introduction of the 20mph sign only speed limits.

He said, “The average speed across the estate did decrease as a result of these speed reductions. However, more recently, police speed checks have highlighted a number of motorists exceeding these limits.”

Mark Jewell added, “It is disappointing that many of the offenders either live on the estate or drop their kids off at the local school. Local residents must take responsibility for making our roads safer. The police can implement on the spot fines and penalty points on the offenders driving licence. The police need to implement these fines and penalties rigorously.”

“One incident, involving a stolen car travelling at high speed, must not be used as a justification, in itself, for peppering the estate with speed humps and traffic calming measures.”