A NORTH Yorkshire woman has stepped up her campaign to reduce fast-moving traffic on a country road near her home.

Jonete Coates, from Huby, invited residents and representatives from North Yorkshire County Council and the police to her house last Friday to discuss the possibility of cutting the speed limit on the Tollerton Road, between Huby and the A19 near Easingwold.

Mrs Coates has been fighting for 18 months to reduce the existing 60mph limit to 40mph on the road that has four blind bends.

Now the council has agreed to implement a 20mph speed limit outside the school, improve road signs and paint white lines down the full length of the road to help the residents' cause.

Mrs Coates, was involved in a head-on smash on the road, and believes herself and her eight-year-old daughter, Georgina, regularly face danger there.

She said: "60mph is too fast for a road with those bends. Drivers could negotiate the bends, but they couldn't stop if there was anything on the other side, like a cyclist"

Mrs Coates also claims leisure activities for the residents have been disrupted because of the traffic.

Last year she said she was unable to cycle to school with her daughter because of traffic and poor drainage.

The cyclists, walkers and horse riders travelling along the bridle way are also disrupted by heavy traffic.

Mrs Coates said the current speed limit of 60mph was based upon the recommendations of a circular issued by the Department of Transport, advising a 60mph restriction for country roads.

But although the guidance offers the discretion for local authorities to look at individual roads and impose their own restrictions, the council is awaiting the new 2003 circular to see if the advice will allow for a drop in the speed limit to 40mph.

Over the coming months residents will continue their fight by keeping a log of vehicles deemed too large for the road to submit to the council.

Updated: 10:32 Tuesday, February 18, 2003