AN angry resident has set up a petition in a bid to stop traffic speeding through a village high street. The move comes as increasing numbers of vehicles race through Melbourn, sparking the need for traffic calming measures to be installed. Claire Challi

AN angry resident has set up a petition in a bid to stop traffic speeding through a village high street.

The move comes as increasing numbers of vehicles race through Melbourn, sparking the need for traffic calming measures to be installed.

Claire Challis's cat was killed last week by a speeding motorist.

Claire, who lives in the High Street with husband Stuart, said: "Something needs to be done.

"We lived in a busy part of South East London for six years with no danger befalling either of our pet cats.

"After only 12 months of living in Melbourn, we are now burying one of them."

Richard Preston, head of network management at Cambridgeshire Highways, said: "Every year we are given money for medium-sized projects such as this.

"Bids are put in and they are accessed on criteria where the number of casualties can be reduced, or people can be encouraged to use public transport resulting in traffic reduction.

"Melbourn High Street has put in bids for the past 12 years but has not yet succeeded.

"Other schemes have taken priority because they have a worse accident record or more can be achieved in these areas in terms of traffic control."

Melbourn High Street has submitted a bid for action to be taken this year but priority areas will not be decided until ­December.

Another High Street resident, Ann Dekkers, editor of the Melbourn Magazine, said: "People do speed down the High Street.

"There is supposed to be a 30 mile an hour speed limit but it is often 50 that drivers are doing.

"I think the best traffic calming measures are the flashing signs saying 30 miles an hour - or perhaps it should be 20.

"Its like a slalom course for drivers and it doesn't help that many people are parking illegally on the High Street."

Other areas of Melbourn have had traffic calming measures introduced including New Road where motorists were coming into the village off the A505.

But residents believe that the High Street, too, needs these 'life-saving' measures.

Melbourn Parish Clerk Avril Mellor said: "Police are on the look out for speeding motorists.

"Residents definitely start their own petition, look what happened with all the flooding - because so many people raised their voices something got done about it."

Mrs Challis, who hopes to put the petition to Cambridgeshire Highways, added: "I think speed bumps should be installed, they are the only thing I know that works.