DRIVERS are routinely flouting a 20mph limit in one of Winchester's most historic streets.

It sparked city council leader Martin Tod to say he wanted to see a 20mph zone across the whole city.

The 20mph limit was introduced around ten years ago in Hyde Street and much of the city centre but many motorists are ignoring the limit, a meeting heard last night.

Deidre Wood, of Hyde Street, told the Town Forum: "There is growing unhappiness in Hyde Street regarding speeding. I have lived in Hyde Street for 39 years. It is a narrow residential road and in some places there is only a few feet separating homes from traffic. There are 34 listed buildings but over the years the road has been allowed to become a rat run.

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"Cyclists are discouraged because of speeding cars. Hyde Street has been measured by Imperial College London as one of the most polluted in Winchester. Cars doing 30 produce twice as much nitrogen dioxide as those at 20."

Mrs Wood said 20mph signs had been taken away and the white '20' painted markings on the road were fading.

Hampshire Chronicle: A 20mph poster on Hyde Street with the fading 20mph marking on the roadA 20mph poster on Hyde Street with the fading 20mph marking on the road (Image: Andrew Napier)

She said 5,000 vehicles use the road with the numbers boosted by the use of satnav.

Mrs Wood called for the lights that measure speed and change colour or flash a message as used elsewhere successfully.

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City council leader Martin Tod said that, with Conservative councillor Fiona Mather, he had lobbied for Hyde Street to be included in the city centre 20mph zone some ten years ago.

He said he would press for the '20' road markings to be refreshed and said he wanted the 20 limit to go wider than the roads in the city centre.

Cllr Tod said: "We should be creating an area-wide zone of 20mph. One reason Hyde Street doesn't work is that across Winchester sometimes it is 20 and sometimes it is not 20. If we said we want the norm for residential streets everywhere to be 20 that would help Hyde Street."

He said he would look to secure funding from the county council for the flashing lights but its financial position was so precarious that would be difficult.