Somerset Highways now says YES to Wedmore’s 20mph speed limit

But Wedmore Parish Council still says NO!

Traffic Management in Somerset have written to us and said explicitly:

“Wedmore IS suitable for a 20mph speed limit and the decision on whether to proceed solely rests with the Parish Council.”

They have gone further and on 9 January provided a map to Wedmore Parish Council that outlines the extent of the 20mph zone should they wish to proceed. So now all parishioners can see immediately whether or not they live within the proposed limit.

So, if we have to run a third survey of residents, asking them to reconfirm what they have already said which is that they want a 20mph limit, perhaps it need cover only those residents living within the map boundary? Here is the map:

So, how did Wedmore Parish Council respond to this positive offer from Somerset Highways?

“The Council’s Highways Committee last considered a 20-mph speed limit at its meeting on 8 October 2025 and, based on data provided by Somerset Highways, resolved not to pursue a parish-wide 20 mph scheme at this time.” – Wedmore Parish Council in February 2026 Isle of Wedmore News

How have other Somerset parish councils responded?

Apparently with more positive alacrity than that of our own Parish Council. Somerset Highways have in recent years issued Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) authorising the introduction of 20mph speed limits in 28 Somerset villages.

The key issues about a 20mph limit in Wedmore

Why a Community Speedwatch scheme won’t do the trick

The Parish Council may think that by introducing a Community Speedwatch scheme, they can avoid implementing a 20mph limit to reduce speeds. However the facts wouldn’t support this.

On their official website Community Speedwatch UK publish a document Community Speedwatch – Benchmarks of success. On page 8 they record that four years of intensive volunteer work from 2015 to 2019 in 30mph limit areas in Sussex and Kent produced NO reduction in average speed. In Sussex it was 39.1mph in 2015 and 39.45mph in 2019 and in Kent it went from 38.65mph in 2015 to 38.21mph in 2019.

What Wedmore parishioners want

Since 2003, Wedmore residents have been calling for a 20mph limit via three separate quantified surveys!

Somerset Council Promises: “We are always ready to support communities who wish to fund … the introduction of speed limits where appropriate. In all cases the call for a 20mph… limit has come from local people, for very valid safety reasons. We’re really pleased to be able to support this.” ( since then they have signed up 15 more Somerset villages for 20mph limits).

What the Department for Transport says

The DfT sets a lot of store on improving the lot of rural and village residents:

• Ensuring improved quality of life for local communities and a better balance between road safety, accessibility and environmental objectives, especially in rural communities.
• Speed management strategies should seek to protect local community life. Fear of traffic can affect people’s quality of life and the needs of vulnerable road users must be fully taken into account to improve their safety.
• In England, in 2022, rural roads accounted for 57% of all road deaths, and 68% of car occupant deaths, but only around 43% of vehicle traffic.

Why people drive faster than the speed limit

Habitual speeders often overestimate their driving abilities. Only 10% of dangerous drivers act out of blatant disregard for safety; the remaining 90% rationalize their speeding with excuses such as not knowing the speed limit, following traffic flow, being in a hurry, or believing the speed limit is too low. Couriers frequently speed due to pressure to meet strict delivery schedules and fear of job loss. Drivers passing through villages tend to speed because they view the reduced speed limits as an inconvenience on their longer journeys.

Who will benefit from a 20mph limit

Recent research indicates that reducing speed limits to 20mph primarily benefits drivers by improving traffic flow and reducing journey times through decreased stop-and-go congestion. Studies from the UK and internationally confirm that lowering the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph enhances safety for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Additionally, a 20mph limit leads to measurable environmental improvements by significantly reducing vehicle emissions and encouraging more walking and cycling.

How to achieve 20mph

Speeding occurs in two locations:

1. In the busy village centre, where limited road space is shared between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, all accessing local services.
2. At the four Village Gateways – where the speeding is most lethal (all the recent fatal and serious speed-related accidents on Wedmore roads have involved speeding drivers entering through a Village Gateway).

Exceptionally heavy volumes of through-traffic are using Wedmore as a ‘rat run’. The new speed control must be tailored to these two contrasting road systems.

Links to other resources

Wales 20mph Independent analysis of vehicle speeds is a compelling report by the consultants Agilysis

20’s Plenty for Us run a national campaign and have lots of information

RoSPA have an excellent publication: “A Guide to 20mph zones and limits”

Green Wedmore support our campaign

Share your experiences

SaveWedmoreLives is compiling a database of local people’s experiences of ‘near misses’ on the parish roads. Below are some examples. Please share any similar events you know of.

• (2022) Elderly lady injured so badly in her car by a speeding motorist she was air-lifted by helicopter to Musgrove Park Hospital for the insertion of 15 metal pins in her leg and two months of major operations. She has yet fully to recover.
• (2024) Elderly lady lost her balance without warning and fell in the middle of Cheddar Road. Had there been a vehicle travelling at 30mph, or more, less than 29 metres away, she would have been killed.
• (2023) Two small children ran into Church Street from between two cars parked outside the Paper Shop. At this location the oncoming traffic was already slowing for the junction with The Borough, so they were spared.
• (2025) A School bus, packed with children, hurtled at high speed towards the Cheddar Road blind bend opposite Wedmore Village Hall. Instead of braking to negotiate the bend, the driver accelerated whilst sounding his horn loudly and rhythmically, so as to warn any unseen pedestrians crossing the road around the bend that he would be appearing suddenly and at speed.