A LARGE number of Altonians joined forces last week to voice concerns about Òthe dangerous and escalating problemÓ of speeding traffic in the town.

In pleading with both the police and Hampshire County Council to take urgent measures to address the problem they entered into a bargain - not only to act as the eyes and ears of the authorities concerned, but to lead by example and stick to posted speed limits themselves.

ÒIf you are exceeding the speed limit you are causing other people the same problem as irresponsible drivers are causing you. All I am asking you to do is to stick to the posted limit - the knock-on effect of that could be that 20 vehicles behind you will also have to slow down and statistically that could make a big difference,Ó said East Hampshire traffic management officer Pc Eric Martin.

In return, he agreed to oversee the installation of larger 40 mph signs on the A339 as it enters Alton and to take on board peopleÕs concerns about what Paddy Mendham described as a Òperceived lack of controlÓ on local roads.

It was standing room only at the Alton Town Council planning and transportation committee meeting, with residents there from the New Odiham Road, Highridge, Anstey Lane and the A339 Basingstoke Road.

Without exception, their concerns were that something should be done to discourage motorists from using the townÕs roads like a motorway.

While understanding these concerns and willing to take on board any suggestions as to how they may be addressed, Pc Martin gave a word of warning.

Hampshire County Council, he said, was responsible for speed limits on the countyÕs roads, and they were bound by strict government guidelines, as were the police, who could only advise. ÒWe often support HCC in the proposed implementation of speed restrictions and traffic calming measures, but only if we feel they would be enforceable.Ó

He told the meeting that at that precise moment in time Whitehill traffic division, which covers the Alton, Bordon and Petersfield area, had just three traffic officers on duty who, during their 10-hour shift, were responsible for covering everything from road traffic accidents to enforcement.

Their principle objective, he said, was to try to reduce casualty and fatality figures. As such, and bearing in mind the level of resources, they were currently targeting nine casualty sites in the area, among them the A339, where road deaths and serious injury figures have been recorded over the past few years. It would be morally wrong, he said, to take coverage away from these areas to patrol less dangerous roads.

In stressing that it was not the roads that were dangerous but the people behind the wheel, he pointed out that casualty figures on the New Odiham Road, for example, had reduced since the installation in 2001 by HCC of the current traffic management scheme.

ÒWe all drive as fast as we feel safe to do so. When safety management schemes go in they heighten driver awareness and you get a reduction in the accident rate. If you can knock two to three mph off traffic speed it makes all the difference to casualty figures. However, after a while people get used to the new layout and you have to try something different.

ÒIf figures start to rise again on the New Odiham Road the county will have to think again,Ó said Pc Martin. He listened to suggestions from local residents concerning the possible installation of pinch points, which he said would only work where you have regular two-way flows, of double white lines to prevent over-taking, which he felt could lead to problems for those wishing to access their own properties, and of cameras - the criteria for which demanded at least two fatalities and four serious injury accidents within the past four years - criteria which fortunately the New Odiham Road did not meet.

There was, he said, a new scheme being introduced into Hampshire which used two speed cameras - one at the entrance and another at the exit to a given area which commanded 100 per cent compliance but which cost a staggering £3m to install.

Speeding motorcyclists were another bone of contention among locals - and they were not alone in their concerns. Pc Martin said that, while motorcycles only made up one per cent of all vehicles using the road they were responsible in Hampshire for 20 per cent of all fatal accidents. ÒWe are doing all we can to try and educate the bikers, and it is only a minority who are giving the majority a bad name, but,Ó he admitted, Òwe are fighting a losing battle.Ó

Having registered other areas such as Anstey Lane, which residents say is used as Òa race trackÓ, and Highridge, which is still being used as a rat run, as problem areas, Pc Martin said his officers would, time permitting, mark them out for attention.

Meanwhile, the A339 was currently being targeted in a major casualty reduction exercise which had already included the resurfacing of part of the road to provide a rougher, anti-skid surface and the installation of camera signs, backed up by mobile camera units.

There was a possibility too, of introducing flashing slow down signs on the road, said Pc Martin who urged local residents to continue to voice their concerns about road traffic issues.

ÒDonÕt be afraid to give me a ring at Whitehill Police Station - if thereÕs nothing we can do we will say so, but if there is something we can do to help, we will,Ó he promised.

l Whitehill Police Station can be contacted by calling 0845 045 4545