Speed limits need to be cut on hundreds of Norfolk's rural roads to make them safer, say campaigners - but their call has been rejected by council leaders.
Green councillors wanted Norfolk County Council to take steps they said would make it easier for communities who want to lower speed limits in their villages and parishes to do so.
Prof Catherine Rowett, who represents West Depwade at County Hall, tabled a motion asking for the council's Conservative-controlled cabinet to come up with a new approach to speed limits.
She said: "Norfolk has hundreds of small villages and rural parishes whose residents are keen to have safer speed limits in their residential areas and on stretches of narrow winding roads where they walk their dogs, ride their horses and take their children to school by bicycle.
"Many tiny narrow winding single track roads currently have a nominal speed limit of 60mph, yet travelling at such a speed would be beyond foolhardy and the average vehicle speed adopted by careful drivers is significantly lower."
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She said it was not about imposing limits, but working with communities which wanted to reduce the speed of traffic on rural roads.
Prof Rowett cited examples in her own division of Bunwell, Bressingham, Aslacton and the Tivetshalls and said people in built-up areas might also be keen to have 20mph limits introduced.
She said the Norfolk Speed Management Strategy has a reactive approach - waiting for serious accidents before taking action - and said that needed to change.
She said changing the strategy and inviting communities to request speed limit changes would save money, because the necessary traffic orders could be dealt with en bloc.
But, at a meeting on Tuesday, the full council rejected her motion, with 37 votes against and 16 for.
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Graham Plant, Conservative cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said the strategy had only just been reviewed and used national government policy over setting speed limits.
He said putting in 20mph limits could end up being expensive, as those were meant to be self-enforcing, so costly physical changes such as speed bumps or narrower carriageways, were needed.
He said funding was targeted on accident cluster sites and that the council promoted driver and rider education to encourage sensible speeds.
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