Safety comes first, as 20 mph zone agreed for Newbury's Queens Road
Following requests from local residents, West Berkshire Council is making streets in the Queens Road area of Newbury a 20 mph zone.
The move follows the successful introduction of such zones elsewhere in the district including areas in Pangbourne, Theale, Thatcham and Westfields in Newbury. The new zone will include Queens Road and the residential streets that run off it, extending to Boundary Road.
The call for a 20 mph speed limit came from the Greenham Neighbourhood Action Group, as well as individual residents. Queens Road and adjacent streets are narrow with on-street parking, and some lengths of the roads do not have pavements. Also, some drivers tend to use Queens Road as a through route from the A339 to the A4, and the new speed restriction should help curb that. The existing speed cushions in Queens Road will help enforce the new limit.
West Berkshire Executive Councillor, David Betts, said: "Queens Road does not have a particular history of accidents and we want to keep it that way. It is a compact, residential town-centre area that lends itself perfectly to a 20 mph zone and we're pleased to be able to meet the wishes of residents by introducing the restriction."
Following installation of new signage and road markings, the new 20 mph zone should come into effect around the end of October.
The results of a 20mph speed limit study in Portsmouth have just been released. Apparently there was a 22% drop in casualties and a reduction in speed, especially on routes that had become rat runs. There were no speed bumps, chicanes or cameras, just 20mph signs. So although all people may not do 20mph, they will reduce their speed from what it is now. I'm going to did the link out later, but it was in the evening standard last night. I think it backs up what Keith Woodhams and I have both been saying about speeding in Pound Lane and surrounding streets in Thatcham, but for whatever reason the Tories refuse to implement any kind of speed restriction or traffic calming.
All over the country 20mph zones have been introduced, with the aim of reducing speeds on minor roads in residential areas. In some towns in the midlands, you have whole towns that are 20mph on smaller residential streets.
Honestly !!!!! Can't think I have ever managed to get above 10 mph what with stopping and starting with cars parked and others coming round - speed humps - oh yes but there are those people who come out of their gates straight into the road without looking maybe it is they who have asked for this so that they can carry on doing this.
These are the figures from the Portsmouth before and after survey. I don't think every road should be 20mph, but definitely the smaller residential streets.
The police don't enforce 20mph zones. When they're consulted on such speed limits they only agree to 'support them' on the basis that they are 'self-enforcing' (ie through speed humps, chicanes etc)
I think it backs up what Keith Woodhams and I have both been saying about speeding in Pound Lane and surrounding streets in Thatcham, but for whatever reason the Tories refuse to implement any kind of speed restriction or traffic calming.
How many more roads do you and Keith Woodhams WANT with speed humps in Thatcham FGS? Thatcham town centre - 20mph with traffic calming (humps) Station Road - 20mph with traffic calming (humps) Stoney Lane/Hartmead Road (Kennet School) - 20mph with traffic calming (humps) Northfield Road - traffic calming (humps) Henwick Lane/Gordon Road - traffic calming (humps) Park Lane/Park Ave - traffic calming (humps) Foxglove Way (ALL roads within Dunstan Park estate) - traffic calming (humps) Harts Hill Road/Bradley Moore Square) - traffic calming (chicanes) Falmouth Way - traffic calming (chicanes) Church Gate/Lower Way/Green Lane - traffic calming (humps AND chicanes) Pound Lane - traffic calming (chicane) Urquhart Road (All roads within the Kennet Heath estate) - traffic calming (humps)
There aren't many roads left in Thatcham that haven't already had some sort of traffic calming. Most drivers respect their cars even if they don't agree with a speed 'limit' and so tend to drive along roads with humps well within the 20mph limit. Introducing a formal 20 limit only means more traffic signs (you have previously posted about wanting to see signs removed). It will not result in any change in the already low speeds. The boy racers who ignore the humps will continue to ignore the signs.
The issue with Queen's Road is surely that the imposition of a 20mph zone will have no effect - as Queen's Road is already humped and constricted to the extent that traffic is already running at 20mph or lower. Thus the new zone is merely a way to spend scarse resources to no effect - at a time when we are being asked to report unnecessary street signage.
Of course this argument applies only to Queen's Road - the other streets covered in the new zone are not humped.
Is Boundary Road to be in the new zone? If not then why not?
I'd like to see minor roads in residential areas with 20mph restrictions. I'd like to see it as the standard across West Berks and other Cities and Councils are introducing it too.
Let me pull you up on your reply though: Excessive signs removed? YES PLEASE. Speed limit signs can hardly be described as excessive signage!!! With regards to Pound Lane, the half chicane has NO impact into speeding on Pound Lane, even at the point of the half chicane!!! My point on the half chicane is that it should become a full chicane as this would mean traffic would have to slow down to negotiate it.
The story in Portsmouth is that a 20mph limit across the city reduced accidents, injuries and speeding. Not my study, so don't shoot the messenger!!! There were no speed bumps or chicanes there, just speed limit signs. I WOULD happily support speed humps on Pound lane though, anything that stops cars hurtling up and down at speeds of up to 50 / 60mph. Someone is going to be killed or seriously hurt if something isn't done soon.
I live in a road where there are chicanes, and quite frankly they are a waste of time. They are a starting and a finishing point for boy racers to put their foot down. Lets face it, we all accelerate once we are past the "calming measure".
I have campaigned to get speed humps installed in my street, to no avail. The police have been here with their mobile cameras, and have not caught enough motorists to warrant these measures. But it stands to reason that if there are 6 officers all in hi-vis jackets, on a straight road, you will spot them a mile off ! I mentioned this to the officers on site at the time, but they said if they weren't visible they would breach some human rights law !
What galls me most is that politicians use road safety to point score with the public, when infact they are not remotely interested in the residents, unless of course they live in the same street.
I would like to stress, this is in no way an assult on Richard, as my particular problem does not involve his party at all. He is of course welcome to jump on my bandwagon but I want results that our children deserve, not a political agenda.
it will have its uses...in court,maybe....some "incidents" are unbelievable,and the only way they could have happened,is by drivers ignoring these signs!!.....as in the "sainsbury roundabout cases[2 overturned vehicles....well it is a 40 zone].....maybe time to reduce that to 30??
The results of a 20mph speed limit study in Portsmouth have just been released. Apparently there was a 22% drop in casualties and a reduction in speed, especially on routes that had become rat runs. .
Really? "... analysis of the first citywide scheme in Portsmouth has shown the number of people killed or seriously injured actually increased after the speed limit was reduced from 30mph.While the 20mph limit has been widely implemented in specific streets, for example near primary schools, the case for reducing the limit in all residential streets appears to have been badly damaged by the Department for Transport report.
Analysis by consultants Atkins, on behalf of the Department for Transport, found the average number of people killed or seriously injured annually in Portsmouth rose from 18.7 to 19.9 after the scheme was launched in 2007....."
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