Almost every residential street in Cullompton could soon be brought under a blanket 20mph limit – but town councillors have warned the plan risks becoming an “expensive” exercise in signage without tougher enforcement and a full safety review.

Devon County Council has proposed a sweeping new order covering the majority of residential and retail roads in the town, alongside changes to some 30mph and 40mph stretches and the removal of a short derestricted section.

The plans were discussed at a meeting of Cullompton Town Council on Thursday, February 26, where members broadly welcomed the principle of slower speeds but raised concerns about cost, enforcement and road design.

Under the draft order, 20mph restrictions would apply to dozens of streets across Cullompton, from Fore Street and High Street to residential estates including Head Weir Road, Swallow Way and St Andrews Estate.

The council’s statement of reasons says the aim is to “reduce the likelihood of collisions and improve local amenities” and to avoid danger to pedestrians and other road users.

Councillor Barry Myers questioned whether the changes would make a practical difference on already congested roads. He said, “A lot of the roads that are marked as being 20mph zones are already 20mph zones because of all the cars parked on the roads. So, it’s going to be a lot of money spent on signage. You’ll have 30mph gateways, and then every other lamppost is going to have a 20mph sign, but you’re only doing 20mph in them anyway because you can’t go any faster.”

Councillor Tony Spring said enforcement would be the “biggest problem”, adding: “Unless they have an enforcement officer, I can’t see this being enforced. We can’t even keep people down to 20mph through the town centre at the moment, so how do we expect to keep them down to 20mph around some of the periphery roads? I don’t know.”

Concerns were also raised about whether speed limits alone would address wider safety issues. Councillor Chris Snow said: “Exeter Road and Meadow Lane, the design of the road, you can’t get two articulated vehicles to go around that into Meadow Lane with the crossing point. I asked more than six months ago for a safety audit of the whole of Cullompton, including road crossings and street design.

“It’s a county council function to make sure that the town is fit for the safety of road users and pedestrians. What we have now is they’re going to put in these 20mph orders and 30mph orders, but we haven’t looked at the safety aspect of it. We’re looking at road crossing, road design.”

Town clerk Dan Ledger told members that safety checks form part of the process. He said: “As part of these orders, one of the things they do is a safety audit, and we can confirm with them to actually prove and evidence that. Also, there is the consultation that members can take part in, and that’s something which could be added as well.”

Cllr Snow also suggested the council could lobby for technology-based enforcement, saying: “Talking about enforcement, we could use ANPR technology. There is technology to enforce it; is that something we could put forward or lobby the county council for?

“If people are parking in the street for long periods of time, people haven’t got dispensation permits, and parking willy-nilly overnight out of the time zones. It’s a way of managing it.

“That’s government money, and county money, which needs to be invested in that. It could generate revenue and serve as a deterrent. It’s something I’d like to look into to enhance the safety of the town.”

Other councillors spoke strongly in favour of the lower limit. Councillor Marilyn Bidmead said: “I think the safety audit and the enforcement should be two of the things that are highlighted by the council. I’m in favour of 20mph because I think the slower you make the traffic go, the better, and people will get used to it.”

Councillor John Standford added: “I think this is a brilliant idea. I do a lot of walking around town as I walk everywhere. I can guarantee you this evening, when I’m walking home, somebody will be going past me at 40mph in a 30mph zone. That’s what they do.

“If you look at the map and study the design, it’s clear that around the new relief road and Swallow Way, into the top end of Cullompton and the bottom, it’s going to be signed. The remainder in the centre, the little streets and roads, for example, Head Weir Road where I live, people tear up along there, you’ve got kids and dogs in the street, etc., so I’m all for this. It’s going to be safer in the town, not less. You reduce the speed, it becomes safer.”

Councillor Mike Thompson raised a separate concern about mapping data, saying: “Around the town, there are several areas where they’ve already put a 20mph speed limit on the sat-nav maps. That’s got to be looked into and corrected because if they’re putting that in in advance before consultation takes place, somebody has authorised it.”

Residents can view the draft order and submit objections or comments through the county council’s traffic regulation order consultation process, with submissions due by Tuesday, March 3.