The High Street in Wanborough could be narrowed to stop people using the village as a rat-run.

Swindon Borough Council is proposing to narrow the main road as well as put in more pedestrian crossings to try and slow traffic when the New Eastern Villages are built.

The massive development will see 8,000 houses built just north of Wanborough.

The council is asking villagers what they think of its proposals – and so far, the response has not been entirely positive.

“A comprehensive access strategy has been developed to ensure the surrounding area does not suffer from the effects of additional traffic," the council said.

It says junctions on the new Southern Connector Road have been designed to reduce the likelihood of through traffic in Wanborough and the surrounding villages.

The council has also secured funding to install traffic calming measures in the village itself.

Proposals affecting the High Street include the realignment of the mini roundabout to reduce approach speed, narrowing the road with 'gateways' and emphasising the speed limit. They also seek to cut the amount of what the council calls informal street parking areas but increase the number of formal parking spaces, add more pedestrian crossings and narrow the High Street and approach from Callas Hill.

On Pack Hill an interactive sign could be installed to tell drivers a bigger vehicle is coming from the other direction to allow time to stop and wait, while at Rotten Row the crossing would have warning posts added to the sides of the road to make it more obvious.

Markings on the road will warn drivers to slow down.

But followers of the council on Facebook were not initially impressed.

Julian Nelson said: “With the cars parked along that already narrow road, it is already traffic calmed. There is already a traffic calming chicane at the bottom of the hill. It is impossible to reach the existing 30mph speed limit along there anyway.”

That was echoed by Joanne Cottam, who said: “Cars already parked on the road and the local horse riders and tractors keep it slow.”

Danny Gray added: “Make the Eastern development builders to pay for it all, or start a one-way system.”

Stefan Sieluzycki thought the council might try an alternative approach, saying: “Perhaps upgrading the road and widening it will help traffic flow.

“Speeders will always speed, they just ignore laws, so that is down to enforcement – but with the A420 getting more jammed up and greater delays even before the new building programme, it might be good use of resources to perhaps look at this road in a different light, effectively it is a main road almost now.”

Angela Taylor said: “Sadly, Wanborough won't be the same with the NEV surrounding it. 8,000 homes planned? Oh, and a huge science park.”

The consultation runs until Monday, August 17, and comments can be made using the form on the council’s website at www.swindon.gov.uk/xfp/form/753