A 40MPH speed limit is set to be introduced close to where a pedestrian crossing is going to be scrapped.

Essex County Council has decided to lower the speed limit from 60mph for an 80-metre stretch from Cymbeline Way to Colne Bank Avenue, Colchester.

The new speed limit will also be introduced on Sheepen Road from its junction with Colne Bank Avenue, for 35 metres.

The move comes after the county council said it wanted to relocate a toucan crossing in Cymbeline Way, Colchester, 235 metres onto Colne Bank Avenue.

But 64 staff, students and pupils at the nearby Colchester Institute and St Helena School raised objections to the plans.

Essex Police also objected to the move.

The council says it is introducing the measure as traffic currently has to slow from 60mph to 30mph when it reaches Colne Bank Avenue going into the town centre.

Dr Paul Byrne, chair of Colchester Medics for Safer Roads and Consultant Rheumatologist Colchester General Hospital, said: "We welcome the speed reduction and would like to see it extended to the entire length of the road.

"I can remember three fatalities on this road in the last five years. It is unnecessary that anyone in Colchester needs to drive their car faster than 40 miles an hour.

"Given the density of traffic in Colchester, and the lack of segregated facilities for cyclists, and the narrowness of many of the pavements for pedestrians, we welcome initiatives that reduce the speed of traffic and will improve road safety and reduce air pollution and noise."

Dr Byrne said the speed restriction was part of the council's plan to move the crossing, which connects North Station with both St Helena School and Colchester Institute, in Sheepen Road.

He added: "This removal will considerably inconvenience schoolchildren, college students and cyclists. The relocation will represent a considerable detour for the majority of pedestrians and also cause inconvenience for some cyclists.

"The council plan to remove it to facilitate the flow of cars. Prioritising cars over pedestrians and other vulnerable road users not only causes congestion and air pollution but also endangers lives.

"The idea to remove this junction seems to have come from Rodney Bass, cabinet member for Highways and Transportation at Essex County Council. We would urge the people of Colchester to write to him and object to the relocation."

An Essex County Council spokesman said an a public information event about the proposals will take place at Colchester Institute on October 21.

It will include the plans to widen Colne Bank Avenue between the Albert and Colne Bank roundabouts to two lanes in each direction and relocate the crossing.

Mr Bass added: “The plans are part of wider proposals to transform local highways, footways and cycleways in Colchester to improve transportation and road safety in the borough.”

The event will be between 2pm and 8pm.

The changes are scheduled to take place between November 2015 and March 2016.