THE Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire has backed the Standard’s campaign to reduce a speed limit on a stretch of road in the Cotswold Water Park.

Robert Hoy, a sailing instructor at Waterland Outdoor Pursuits on Spratsgate Lane, was involved in a head-on collision with another car as he turned into the centre on June 25.

Waterland Outdoor Pursuits believe that Mr Hoy's death could have been prevented if the speed limit was reduced from 60mph to 30mph.

They are now lobbying Gloucestershire County Council, which is responsible for the speed limit on the stretch of road, to reduce it.

Last week when the Standard launched a campaign to get the speed limit reduced, Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Gloucestershire County Council councillor Shaun Parsons, were among the many that backed it.

Now Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl is backing the campaign to reduce the speed limit and has suggested several other measures that would implement safer driving on the stretch of road.

“I welcome any measure that will make driving safer but jumping to what seems the most obvious conclusion is not always the best answer.

“Speed is a common factor in many serious and fatal collisions but there are other factors too. Enforcement – could the police do more to enforce existing limits? Engineering – is the condition of the road a cause? Education – could we be doing more to change drivers’ habits?

“The situation in Sprattsgate Lane is also complicated because although it’s about 80% in Gloucestershire, the section of the road in question is the responsibility of Wiltshire County Council.”

He added that he will be asking the county council to examine all of these features.

The Standard encourages those who back the campaign to email the leader of Gloucestershire County Council Mark Hawthorne at mark.hawthorne@gloucestershire.gov.uk It is only with the reader's input that this campaign can be successful so please take action now.