I must have missed this topic the first time around so please excuse me if adding my 2d's worth rubs salt into an old wound.
With any wide and well-used road, such as Barton Road, reducing a 30 mph limit to 20 mph is going to make little difference; other than winding up already frustrated motorists even more. The resulting gridlock could, potentially at least, bring the entire town to a halt.
In my opinion two things need to happen:
1. Ensure the existing speed limit is enforced, and
2. Educate the motorists.
The first is easy to do using speed cameras, much as I hate that idea, or speed-triggered repeater signs. Barton Road is often targeted by the Police with speed guns and random checks but perhaps these need to be more frequent and at times when the route is busy.
The second item is harder to achieve despite various advertising campaigns on TV warning of the dangers of speeding in built-up areas.
It is very difficult to stop eejits doing stupid things and, to my mind, putting up safety barriers is not the answer either - they only server to corral pedestrians who then leap over them into the path of oncoming traffic in any case.
