Arming Dereham's residents with police speed check radar guns has been pitched as one of the measures which could be taken to reduce a black list of traffic woes drawn up by town bosses this week.

Arming Dereham's residents with police speed check radar guns has been pitched as one of the measures which could be taken to reduce a black list of traffic woes drawn up by town bosses this week.

Dereham Town Council has been asked to come up with a list of its danger hot spots, problem speeding areas, dilapidated pedestrian footpaths and nightmare junctions.

Norfolk County Council is hoping the list will help it prioritise what work it carries out in the town.

The task, put to a new committee of the town council set up just to discuss traffic problems, has raised concerns about a lethal bridge children use to get to school, flagrant speeding throughout the town and a lack of cycle ways - at a time when more people are ditching their cars to save petrol costs.

John Gretton said that according to recent figures 40pc of all car users in the town break the speed limit.

“There is a massive flouting of the law going on,” he said.

The town council is now going to look into creating a police community speed watch team which will mean residents can help reduce speeding problems in streets like Crown Road and Norwich Road.

But positive steps to reduce traffic should be taken too - the meeting agreed.

Tim Birt said: “There are going to be less and less cars due to rising cost of fuel, we should be ready to provide walk ways and cycle ways.”

Suggestions have been compiled in the list which is to help create the county council's local transport plan.

The list includes:

Where footpaths should be extended: Barwells Court, where the town council has taken over the public toilets, Matsell Way alongside the Maltings, Westfield Lane bridge - which was deemed lethal and a major worry as a regularly used school route, Norwich Road level crossing and a walkway from the bottom of Gordon Road to Malthouse Road through to Norwich Road.

Speeding hotspots which need to be targeted: Crown Road and Quebec Road, but it was also seen as a general problem.

It was also suggested to have speed limits painted on the road so people can always see what the limit is.

Dangerous or problem junctions highlighted were: Between the Market Place car park, Quebec Street and Market Place, the London Road roundabout near the BP garage - people seemed unaware whose right of way it was, the junction between Tavern Lane, the A1075 and the A47 slip road to Norwich and the turning out of Homebase and Bennetts on to London Road - should be made a roundabout.

Cycle network link-ups should be created between Dereham town centre and Toftwood via Morrgate and the new development on South Green, a lane from Toftwood to the back of Tesco and through to Neatherd and from Westfield Road out through the Rashes Green industrial estate.

A new green infrastructure study being carried out by the council should also include cycle ways.

Problem areas where parked cars cause a problem: There was a general issue of cars parking on footpaths in the town - but there was a lack of police manpower to enforce the law, it was said. Westfield Lane was a specific problem with people parking on grass verge.

A review of historic footpaths is to be carried out.

Robin Goreham added that if anyone had traffic issues they wanted raising with the county council, then they could go to their county council representative at any time.