Wantage and Grove Traffic Advisory Meeting took place this week for the first time since January.

This is supposedly a quarterly meeting at which County, District, Wantage and Grove Councillors meet with a Highways Officer and Police representative to discuss current issues.

Jenny Hannaby who is a County Councillor representing Wantage and Grove, a District Councillor and a Town Councillor was present as were two other Town Councillors and two Grove Parish Councillors.

The longest discussion of the afternoon was about speeding in Wantage and Grove.

A local resident has been to several of these meetings over the last two years asking for some speed calming measures on Station Road in Grove.

This is a 50 mph road from about 100m north of the traffic lights and attracts a number of speeding vehicles.

The Police and Highways representatives reported on the speed survey which had been carried out last year.

The average speeds were between 43 & 44 mph and 85% didn’t exceed the speed limit.

It seems like the fastest 15% (which are probably those who are both dangerous and causing a nuisance) are simply ignored.

As the minutes of the January meeting stated “Higher speeds were recorded in the minority and therefore the road cannot qualify for 40mph speed restriction. It was felt the current speed limit of 50mph was realistic and appropriate.”

Committee members were asked if a speed camera could be installed but the response was that this would cost at least £60,000 and would be very difficult to justify.

Speeding cars and bikes were also reported on Charlton Road, Charlton Village Road and Ormond Road.

Off the record comments from committee members in the past have simply said that nothing will be done until there is a very serious accident.

The only things that could happen on any of our roads would be more humps, chicanes or other traffic calming measures and more speed cameras.

We do have a number of vehicle activated speed warning signs in the area but I’m not sure if these help to reduce the number of speeding lunatics.

The best calming measures at the moment seem to be parked cars which narrow the roads to single car width as Wallingford Street, Harcourt Road, Mill Street and Ham Road would testify.

Of course even these don’t stop that top 15% of idiots who like showing off their idiocy by making all of our roads more dangerous for other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.