Villagers want green light for traffic lights

PEOPLE in Horsington came out to show their support for the temporary traffic lights through their village last week, which they say slow HGVs and speeding traffic down.

The lights have been in place since early February, when snowy conditions caused a milk tanker to crash through a roadside wall on the A357 into a ditch below. Repairs on the wall are still being carried out and are likely to continue into next month.

County councillor for the Blackmoor Vale area, William Wallace, said many of his Horsington constituents wanted to see the traffic lights become a permanent feature.

“The lights have slowed down traffic considerably and we would like to see permanent lights here, as Yenston and Templecombe have.

“The road narrows at Horsington and we have already seen one speeding-related death here during the past year. It would also slow down the vast amount of HGVs we have travelling through, on what it not a designated HGV route,” he said.

A spokesman for Somerset County Council Highways said Horsington Parish Council would have to apply for funding for the lights through their local transport plan and the application would be assessed.

Mr Wallace added that he was still putting pressure on the county council to regulate the speed limit along the A357 from Lattiford to Stalbridge, which currently changes between 30 mph and 40 mph several times.