CALLS are being made to look again at lowering the speed limit on a stretch of road in Knutsford where three people have died in the past five years.

Knutsford town councillors Stewart Gardiner and Tony Dean have raised the issue of the speed limit on Manchester Road with Cheshire East following the death of a motorcyclist at the end of last month.

Their calls to look again at cutting the 60 limit were backed by fellow councillors at last night's (Monday) town council meeting.

Last month’s fatal crash happened next to Cottons Hotel, and Cllr Gardiner said he and Cllr Dean had contacted highways officers regarding the speed limit on the stretch of the A50 near the hotel.

He said he raised the issue with the authority some years ago, and a draft traffic regulation order was prepared, which would have reduced the speed limit.

Cllr Gardiner said: “However it was not supported at the time by the police, and if a local authority wishes to make a change in the speed limit which is not supported by the police, in 99 per cent of these cases the application for a traffic regulation order is not supported.

“Therefore it was deemed it was not a good use of public funds to proceed at that time.”

He said the draft order had been intended to reduce the 60 speed limit to 50 near the hotel, and to extend the 30 limit to the junction of Manchester Road with Sugarpit Lane.

Cllr James Power said road safety in Knutsford needed to be a much greater priority following the latest fatal crash, while Cllr Peter Coan said Cheshire East should place the draft order at the top of its list for consideration.

Cllr Andrew Malloy believed some drivers would not slow down even if the limit was cut to 50, and a review of the road layout was also needed.

He said: “There needs to be some work with Cottons Hotel and Fryer’s Garden Centre to see what can be done.”

Cllr Malloy suggested introducing a traffic island to help slow traffic, and hoped Cheshire East highways officers would look at how last month’s fatal crash happened.

“There have been three fatalities in the last five years in Knutsford, all of them at that location, and seven incidents in the previous five years,” he said.

“If that doesn’t say to highways that something needs to happen I don’t know what does.”