Although widely appreciated, the instigation of 20 mph limits in the village last year has been criticised by a minority.Part of the attraction of of Burton is that it is such an open area, children and youngsters are often playing in and around the roads whils exploring alongside the Clockhouse stream and other open areas of the village; they are though, often hidden from view, screened by parked vehicles of which there are now so many more that just a few years ago; cars and vans parked nose to tail along the sides of internal feeder routes.Cllr. Colin Jamieson stated "We all know that speeding traffic kills. We have been aware of accidents locally involving children, youngsters and motor cyclists and other vehicles; a child was injured by a car in Burton only recently, and there have been fatalities in other parts of Christchurch involving children and speeding vehicles.Just imagine, for one moment, the devastation that is caused to families when an incident like that happens. What would be the feeling expressed then by our community in Burton if we realised there was a problem and decided to do nothing!On the one hand, we cherish our open spaces and defend our ability to allow youngsters to use the open spaces as an area to grow up in safety; on the other hand, there are people, who would defend the right to drive through our congested roads at excessive speeds relying on their instinctive reactions to stop should a child unthinkingly rush out from behind a parked vehicle whilst engrossed in play and without thought for the impending dangers!I believe we must link those attractions of our village with the need to remind drivers of their obligations to drive with extreme care. So, I defy anyone to say that this was a pointless exercise. It is there as a reminder, to protect our most valuable children from injury and if only one injury is prevented, if only one life is spared and if only one family is saved fro the agony of a young death, I will defend that position forever!Remember, we must take responsibility for our actions and look after ourselves, our environment to the best of our ability!

20 is plenty, particularly in Burton"