Speed limit cut to 40mph proposed for main road near Basingstoke

A plan to reduce the speed limit on a main road near Basingstoke is now open for public comment.

Hampshire County Council is consulting on a proposal to lower the limit from 60mph to 40mph on B3400 London Road, close to Oakley.

The change is linked to the wider Manydown development scheme, which is being designed around a 40mph road layout.

If approved, the new limit would run from around 261 metres south-west of the junction with Wootton St Lawrence Road to about 30 metres east of the junction with Oakley Lodge. This section would replace the current national speed limit.

The B3400 becomes Worting Road as it heads towards Basingstoke. The stretch under review provides access to Oakley Lodge, the Worting Park housing development, the former Cobbs at Manydown farm shop site and a priority junction linking to Wootton St Lawrence.

In its report, the county council says the road will change from a “predominantly rural” route into one surrounded by new housing and development.

The report adds that future growth will bring more pedestrian, cycle and vehicle movements. It says a lower speed limit would create a safer environment for residents, walkers, cyclists and public transport users, while still supporting traffic using the road.

Traffic surveys carried out in August 2021 recorded average speeds of around 46 to 48 miles per hour.

Comments on the proposal can be submitted until 27 February via the Hampshire County Council website, or at Overton Library during opening hours.