MOVES to impose a 50mph speed limit on one of Hampshire’s busiest roads gathered pace last night.

Members of New Forest District Council are set to examine whether they should call for a reduction from the 70mph limit currently in place on the A31 between Picket Post and St Leonards, near Ringwood.

Their action comes as new statistics show more than 60 accidents took place on the busy three-mile stretch in only two and a half years, as reported yesterday in The Daily Echo, right.

It comes just months after recovery vehicle driver Terry Booth was killed on the road at Poulner Hill.

At a full council meeting last night, Councillor Michael Thierry told colleagues that it was time to improve safety on the route.

He said: “Our role must always be to represent the people we serve and this arises from the concerns of the people of Ringwood.

“Without any doubt, there have been a significant number of accidents ranging from minor to fatal. There are many, many more accidents on that stretch of the dual carriageway where folk simply exchange details before driving off.”

He added that similar schemes had been rolled out successfully in other parts of the country.

Road chiefs recorded 63 collisions along the section of road from July 2005 to December 2007 including one fatality and seven crashes classed as serious.

In June this year roadside technician Terry Booth was killed while recovering a broken down vehicle on the busy road.

The Highways Agency says it would only be part of a wider consultation process if it was asked to reduce the limit.