A SOUTHAMPTON MP has handed a petition to the House of Commons calling for 20mph zones wherever residents want them.

Conservative Royston Smith claimed the city council is playing politics with road safety by ignoring his calls.

But the council’s Labour leader and transport chief have hit back and accused Mr Smith of electioneering himself.

The petition of 1,200 signatures follows two years of dispute over the move.

Southampton City Council has introduced limits around schools over several years but rejected a wider roll-out after a trial in Maybush showed it didn’t reduce speeds.

In a letter to council leader Simon Letts, Mr Smith said: “It is perverse that speed reduction measures are in place on dual carriageways, but your administration has neglected areas around schools, nursing homes and areas with young families.

“As my petition demonstrates, Southampton residents clearly want you to revisit this policy and to look to make changes that will make our roads safer for all.”

Speaking to the Daily Echo, the Itchen MP and former council leader suggested the council was ignoring the pleas because he was the one making them.

“Playing around with road safety because you think ‘it’s your idea, so we won’t do it’ is just ridiculous,” he said.

“I’m now starting to think this is a political move.”

The claims were branded “nonsense” by the council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, Cllr Jacqui Rayment.

She said: “There’s an election coming up, and we’ve got a good track record of listening to the residents.

“My personal belief is that if the case is made by the community and there’s funding available, and after a consultation it is felt appropriate for a number of reasons, then it’s something that we should look at. But we’re not flush with money and evidence doesn’t suggest that they work perfectly all the time everywhere.”

Council leader Cllr Simon Letts added: “Surely if [Mr Smith] thought it was such a big issue, he should have done something about it when he was leader.

“He’s just making it up as he’s going along.”

Mr Smith said the council had not acknowledged or replied to recent letters on the issue.