Dave Davenport
Guru
- Location
- Hampshire
I live in an area of victorian terraced houses that covers about a square mile, within which there's a primary school and health centre. The streets are narrow with cars parked both sides and none are through routes.
Three years ago I presented the council with a request from the residents association for the area to be made a 20mph zone, supported by a survey showing overwhelming local support. It's taken them three years to produce this;
Dear Councillors
We have now completed the traffic study into whether it would be feasible to introduce a 20mph speed limit in the Newtown Road area. This issue was previously selected by ELAC for its traffic studies programme following a petition that was submitted by the Newtown Residents Association, which had requested a lower speed limit to make it safer for children to walk to school. that's not what we said
The area we considered for a 20mph limit are the streets shaded green on the attached plan.
Accident history
During the last five years there were two injury accidents within this area. One was in The Crescent (a hit in rear collision – slight injury) and the other was at the Toynbee Road/Laburnum Grove junction (a car making right turn collided with a pedestrian crossing the road – serious injury). There were also two separate slight injury junction accidents where vehicles made illegal right turns from Twyford Road into The Crescent, and two slight injury accidents at the junction of Leigh Road with Toynbee Road.
Speed surveys – average speeds
The following sites relate to the locations shown on the attached plan:
Site 1 (Newtown Road): 22mph
Site 2 (The Crescent): 25mph
Site 3 (Toynbee Road): 24mph
Suitability for a 20mph limit
Consideration was given to whether a 20mph limit rather than a 20mph zone could be introduced. 20mph zones can only be provided in areas that have traffic calming ie there must be traffic calming features every 100 metres. Generally, traffic calmed areas are more suitable for lower speed limits because they are self-enforcing, which means they don’t usually require police enforcement since the traffic calming prevents vehicles from travelling that much faster than 20mph.
Although traffic calming schemes are more effective at reducing speeds than 20mph limits without traffic calming, It is unlikely that traffic calming could be provided across the whole of the Newtown area as it is difficult to justify, largely on the basis that there have been very few accidents and existing speeds are already low.
The Department for Transport’s guidance is that 20mph limits should only be introduced where the average speed of traffic is at or below 24mph. The Newtown area largely meets the criteria, although the speeds in The Crescent were a little high.
Cost
The minimum cost of introducing a 20mph limit in this area is estimated at £9,000. However, the maximum cost could be up to £25,000 due to issues relating to the illumination of signs, which requires further investigation. Part of the cost could be funded by the Traffic Management Agency budget from HCC, but the majority of the cost would probably have to be funded by ELAC. It is suggested that further enquiries to arrive at a more accurate cost are put on hold until approval for implementing the speed limit is given from HCC.
Informal consultation with HCC and the Police
The Police have advised they are unlikely to object to a formal proposal to reduce the speed limit in this area to 20mph, although they have requested a further speed survey in Archers Road. HCC have also advised that they do not object to the proposal, but cannot give a decision on whether it can go ahead at this time since they are reviewing their policy on 20mph limits. They do have concerns however as to whether a 20mph limit is justified, given the existing low speeds and a low level of accidents and the precedent it might then set for rest of Hampshire. They have also asked for a further speed survey to be carried out.
We suggested to HCC that the Newtown area could be used as a trial on which to test whether 20mph limits without traffic calming are effective in residential areas, but they have advised us that our proposal will have to remain on hold until their position on 20mph limits has been finalised. At the moment we do not know when this will be.
If the cost of introducing the speed limit does turn out to be in the region of £25,000 it would be questionable as to the benefit such a cost would provide, but we will keep this study on our work programme as a reminder that we await an update from HCC on their policy. I’ll let you know as soon as I have any further news.
Regards
Paul Garrod
Traffic Management Team
Transportation & Engineering
Eastleigh Borough Council
Three years ago I presented the council with a request from the residents association for the area to be made a 20mph zone, supported by a survey showing overwhelming local support. It's taken them three years to produce this;
Dear Councillors
We have now completed the traffic study into whether it would be feasible to introduce a 20mph speed limit in the Newtown Road area. This issue was previously selected by ELAC for its traffic studies programme following a petition that was submitted by the Newtown Residents Association, which had requested a lower speed limit to make it safer for children to walk to school. that's not what we said
The area we considered for a 20mph limit are the streets shaded green on the attached plan.
Accident history
During the last five years there were two injury accidents within this area. One was in The Crescent (a hit in rear collision – slight injury) and the other was at the Toynbee Road/Laburnum Grove junction (a car making right turn collided with a pedestrian crossing the road – serious injury). There were also two separate slight injury junction accidents where vehicles made illegal right turns from Twyford Road into The Crescent, and two slight injury accidents at the junction of Leigh Road with Toynbee Road.
Speed surveys – average speeds
The following sites relate to the locations shown on the attached plan:
Site 1 (Newtown Road): 22mph
Site 2 (The Crescent): 25mph
Site 3 (Toynbee Road): 24mph
Suitability for a 20mph limit
Consideration was given to whether a 20mph limit rather than a 20mph zone could be introduced. 20mph zones can only be provided in areas that have traffic calming ie there must be traffic calming features every 100 metres. Generally, traffic calmed areas are more suitable for lower speed limits because they are self-enforcing, which means they don’t usually require police enforcement since the traffic calming prevents vehicles from travelling that much faster than 20mph.
Although traffic calming schemes are more effective at reducing speeds than 20mph limits without traffic calming, It is unlikely that traffic calming could be provided across the whole of the Newtown area as it is difficult to justify, largely on the basis that there have been very few accidents and existing speeds are already low.
The Department for Transport’s guidance is that 20mph limits should only be introduced where the average speed of traffic is at or below 24mph. The Newtown area largely meets the criteria, although the speeds in The Crescent were a little high.
Cost
The minimum cost of introducing a 20mph limit in this area is estimated at £9,000. However, the maximum cost could be up to £25,000 due to issues relating to the illumination of signs, which requires further investigation. Part of the cost could be funded by the Traffic Management Agency budget from HCC, but the majority of the cost would probably have to be funded by ELAC. It is suggested that further enquiries to arrive at a more accurate cost are put on hold until approval for implementing the speed limit is given from HCC.
Informal consultation with HCC and the Police
The Police have advised they are unlikely to object to a formal proposal to reduce the speed limit in this area to 20mph, although they have requested a further speed survey in Archers Road. HCC have also advised that they do not object to the proposal, but cannot give a decision on whether it can go ahead at this time since they are reviewing their policy on 20mph limits. They do have concerns however as to whether a 20mph limit is justified, given the existing low speeds and a low level of accidents and the precedent it might then set for rest of Hampshire. They have also asked for a further speed survey to be carried out.
We suggested to HCC that the Newtown area could be used as a trial on which to test whether 20mph limits without traffic calming are effective in residential areas, but they have advised us that our proposal will have to remain on hold until their position on 20mph limits has been finalised. At the moment we do not know when this will be.
If the cost of introducing the speed limit does turn out to be in the region of £25,000 it would be questionable as to the benefit such a cost would provide, but we will keep this study on our work programme as a reminder that we await an update from HCC on their policy. I’ll let you know as soon as I have any further news.
Regards
Paul Garrod
Traffic Management Team
Transportation & Engineering
Eastleigh Borough Council
