Prepare to drive slower in Warwickshire...

[st13phil]

As some of you may already know, a couple of years ago the DfT published new guidance to all local authorities in Circular 1/2006 ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’ and required that they all complete a review of speed limits under their control in line with the new guidance by 2011.

Warwickshire is ahead of most authorities in conducting its speed limit reviews and has now reached the stage where their County Councillors have approved a number of speed limit changes which they are now formally advertising. As many motorists have feared, this process has resulted in an intention to carry out almost wholesale reduction in speed limits across the county. What is most worrying is that 40 of the limit reductions have been the subject of formal objection – the majority of these from Warwickshire Police – yet in every case considered up to last week the objections have been overruled by Councillors according to an article in the September 19th edition of Local Transport Today (LTT), the UK's leading publication for transport planning professionals.

Formal objections were heard from Warwickshire Police to a number of proposals to reduce speed limits from 60mph to 50mph on the grounds that “The mean speed is not currently at or below the proposed limit”, and that, “[this] road is the very essence of what a road user would consider to be a road subject to the national speed limit. It is unlikely that the new limit will be as effective in maintaining compliance as the current limit has been.” According to LTT, Members of the Stratford-on-Avon East joint committee [councillors] considered and overruled these objections on the grounds that “councils had to take account of a broader range of issues than the police, in particular community concerns about speed”. It was also reported that even in cases where Warwickshire Police has not made a formal objection “it does not support the council’s lower limits”.

So, there you have it. Speed limits are being lowered due to “concerns” expressed by a vociferous and vocal minority based on prejudice and ignorance, while those who have professional involvement in both enforcement of those limits and picking up the pieces when it goes wrong think its madness.

While it is probably a futile exercise, there is still a window of opportunity to raise objections during the “consultation period” (which a cynic might suggests will consist of the council asking if there are any objections and then sticking its fingers in its ears while singing loudly “la-la-la-la I can’t hear you”) so if you do feel strongly then please make your objections known.

Details of the speed limit review and what roads are affected and Warwickshire's "Approved Area Assessments" can be found here.

 

[wemorgan]

I agree with what you've said. Though it's not all bad news. Where I live in Warwickshire, my residential road with schools on it was 40mph, now at last common sense has prevailed and the speed limit reduced to 30mph. Cars regularly brake this new limit, but enforcement/education is another issue, at least the intention is honest in this example, if not all others.

 

[mattc]

I agree with what you've said. Though it's not all bad news. Where I live in Warwickshire, my residential road with schools on it was 40mph, now at last common sense has prevailed and the speed limit reduced to 30mph. Cars regularly brake this new limit, but enforcement/education is another issue, at least the intention is honest in this example, if not all others.

I like the Aussie system were 20 limits around school are enforced with cameras but the limits are only for the time when kids SHOULD be travelling to and from school - quite sensible.

that politicains might be "doing something" for the sake of it rather than listening to the professionals in this regard does not really surprise you does it

 

[Swiss Toni]

"Bring in elected Police Chiefs!"

or

"Have Police Chiefs who are accountable for their decisions in a professional capacity, but keep politics out of it"

One or the other.

 

[st4]

"Have Police Chiefs who are accountable for their decisions in a professional capacity, but keep politics out of it"

Sounds okay.

 

[st13phil]

"Bring in elected Police Chiefs!"

or

"Have Police Chiefs who are accountable for their decisions in a professional capacity, but keep politics out of it"

One or the other.

Personally I'd go for the second option over the first, but either would be better than the fudge we currently have.

 

[Satch]

Write setting out your concerns. There is no automatic presumption that limits always go down, although that is the common thinking by local authorities.

Thus a proposal to reduce the limit from 60mph to 40mph on a five mile stretch of straight rural road with very few junctions and no habitation by our local nitwits was quashed when they realised that they would have to explain their flawed logic which very roughly said because it had no streetlights there is a higher risk to road users and the limits must be reduced.

Along with the majority of rural roads in the country, or just that one because a stupid local politician had bigged it up in her election campaign for want of anything else?

Mark Magee
Head of Speed Policy Branch
Zone 2/13
Road User Safety Division
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR

Direct line: 0207 944 8818
Fax: 0207 944 9618
GTN: 3533 8818

[email protected]

 

[Corrado]

...and more.....

Heard ads on the radio about this so searched to find out what's going on with Hampshire speed limits.
From now 'till end of Spring 2009 there will be 104 reductions in speed limits from 40mph to 30mph. Perhaps some are merited, but this smacks of a none-too rational blanket reduction.

Does this sort of action in response to the drivers already speed in the 40 limit have the effect of bringing speed limits into disrepute?