LETTER: No justification for speeding

Having seen your online piece about local residents in Southover protesting at the failure of drivers to keep to the 20mph speed limit I wanted to add my voice to their concerns.

When I was first mayor in 1981 I convened a meeting at the request of Jim Franks of the Friends of Lewes, to urge a 20mph speed limit throughout the town centre and Southover.

Now, more than 30 years later, we have a 20mph limit but, as your article reveals, many drivers simply ignore it.

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For a pedestrian or cyclist the difference between being hit by a car travelling at 20mph or 30mph can easily be the difference between broken limbs, or even loss of life, and minor bruising.

For drivers the time difference crossing the 1 mile town centre zone at 20mph and at 30mph is only one minute, so there is no justification for speeding and I would urge all drivers to stick to the speed limit. This can easily be a matter of life or death, particularly to an elderly pedestrian.

Graham Mayhew,

Mayor of Lewes