Smooth resurfacing prompts residents' plea to curb speeding on Ewart Road

Ewart Road, a residential street in Milton, Weston-super-Mare, has recently been resurfaced after a prolonged campaign by local Labour councillors Catherine Gibbons and Richard Tucker. While residents welcomed the restoration of the once pothole-ridden and crumbling surface, the smooth new tarmac has now inadvertently attracted increased traffic using the road as a shortcut, causing concern among the community.

The 400-metre stretch, connecting Milton Road to Locking Road, had long struggled with poor road conditions. Since its resurfacing, however, inhabitants report that motorists are speeding along the road, treating it as a convenient rat run.

In response to the situation, residents have submitted a petition to North Somerset Council calling for urgent implementation of traffic restrictions under the Road Traffic Act 1984. Presenting the petition on 8 September, Councillor Gibbons explained, “This is, I think, an unintended consequence of the fact that it is a wonderful road now and people like to speed down it.”

The petition urges the council to prohibit motor vehicles-including commercial and heavy traffic-from using Ewart Road as a throughway between Milton Road and Locking Road. It highlights that such measures would enhance the living environment for residents, reduce pollution levels, and improve safety for pedestrians and schoolchildren in the area.