Committee Report NSC

                                                                                                                                    Item 6.4

North Somerset Council

 

REPORT TO THE Planning and Economic Development Policy & Scrutiny Panel

 

Date of Meeting: 19th december 2005

 

Subject of Report: Kewstoke Toll Road Speed Limit

 

Town or parish: Weston-super-Mare and Kewstoke

 

Officer/Member presenting: Frank Cox, NEW WORKS MANAGER, Planning policy and transportation

 

Key Decision: No

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

The Panel recommends to the Executive Member for Strategic Planning that the existing speed limit of 25 mph, which is advisory and not enforceable, should be replaced by a statutory speed limit of 30 mph.

 

1.                Summary of Report

 

The existing signposted speed limit of 25 mph on Kewstoke Toll Road is not supported by a legal Order, and cannot be enforced by the Police. In order to introduce an enforceable limit, a legal Order will need to be issued, which would have to be for one of the “standard” speed limits of either 20 mph or 30 mph.

 

2.                Policy

 

This matter relates directly to Corporate Aims 2, 3 and 4, Protecting and Improving the Environment, Enhancing Health and Wellbeing, and Promoting Healthier Lifestyles.

 

3.                Details

 

The Kewstoke Toll Road is one of nine sites that were identified by the Speed Limit Review Working Group as being locations where speed limits are a problem. At the Scrutiny Panel Meeting on 27 June 2005, the Working Group recommended that the existing 25 mph speed limit should be reviewed.

 

Kewstoke Toll Road is a private road and not a Public Highway, being owned and operated by North Somerset Council.  However, with the exception of the collection of tolls (which is done seasonally) it has the appearance to users of being a public road. It has signs of standard speed limit pattern, at each end and at intervals between, indicating a limit of 25 mph. However, there is no legal Order in place to allow this speed limit to be enforced, and 25 mph is not a “standard” limit to which an Order could be applied.

 

DfT have indicated that they would not sanction a 25 mph statutory speed limit and suggested that, based on the descriptions provided by NSC officers that we should be treating the individual hazards and applying a speed limit appropriate for the road as a whole.

 

Speed measurements were taken in 2002 and 2004 at two locations on the Toll Road, one site near the Weston-super-Mare end and the other about halfway along. Measurements were taken at the same sites this year; to give an indication of the effects on driver behaviour of recently installed safety measures, such as the vehicle-activated signs, “Rumblewave” surfacing, and barriers. Speeds are commonly presented as “85%ile”, which is the speed below which 85% of drivers travel (i.e. the speed exceeded by the fastest 15%).

 

For the site at the Weston end, 85%ile speeds were 31 mph westbound and 32 mph eastbound (October 2005). These are about 3 mph lower than in the previous years. At the other site, recorded speeds were 36 mph westbound and 33 mph eastbound (September 2005), down by about 1 mph. Very few drivers were exceeding 40 mph at either site, in either direction.

 

Appendix 1 shows the extent of the existing speed limits, and the locations of the two speed measurement sites.

 

Advice on setting speed limits is contained within Department for Transport Circular 1/93, which is currently in the process of being reviewed. The circular gives a procedure for determining an appropriate limit, based on the character of the environment, the character of the road, and the traffic composition, and then suggests that if the observed 85%ile speed is within 7 mph or 20% of this proposed limit, the limit may be introduced. According to these character criteria, the Toll Road does not require a speed limit, due to the absence of frontage development or junctions. However, the existing speeds are within 7 mph or 20% of a 30 mph limit.

 

With regards to the accident history on this road, during the 3 years up to April 2004 when the last fatal accident occurred there had been 12 personal injury accidents. During the following 18-month period when the various safety measures have been installed there have not been any accidents. Whilst it is still too early to be definitive, it appears that whilst the safety measures have not significantly reduced speeds on the straight sections of road, driver behaviour has been influenced and safety along the road has improved significantly.

 

The options available are:

 

a) Retain the existing non-enforceable 25 mph limit (i.e. “do nothing”),

b) Introduce a statutory 20 mph limit,

c) Introduce a statutory 30 mph limit.

 

Option a) would have no effect on existing speeds, and would not allow action against drivers on the basis of speed alone. It is considered that an enforceable speed limit must be installed.

 

Option b) does not comply with the advice in the Circular, being too far below the prevailing speeds. A 20 mph limit is considered to be unrealistically low, with virtually all drivers currently exceeding this speed, and about 80% exceeding the enforcement threshold of 24 mph. Studies show that speed limits on their own have little impact on speeds, so signs would need to be supplemented by further traffic calming measures.

 

Option c) is consistent with the existing measured speeds, but would allow enforcement against the small number of drivers who drive significantly faster. ACPO guidelines suggest enforcement above (speed limit + 10% + 2 mph), i.e. above 35 mph in a 30 mph limit. The Safety Camera Partnership has indicated that they could enforce this legal limit as a “Community Concern Site”.

 

Concern has been expressed that replacing the existing 25 mph limit with one of 30 mph, albeit an enforceable one, may “send the wrong message to drivers”. Any change should be accompanied by publicity reminding drivers that the speed limit is the maximum speed, not a “target” speed, and that they should respond to prevailing weather and road conditions.

 

The roads at both ends of the Toll Road have existing 30 mph speed limits, by virtue of being lit. The existing changes of speed limit are marked by larger “terminal” signs. These would have to be removed if the 30 mph limit is made continuous, but “gateway” features could be installed by providing “30” roundel markings on the road surface at the change from Public Highway to private road. The Toll Road itself is unlit, and would therefore require “30” repeater signs (to replace the existing “25” repeaters).

 

Accordingly, it is recommended that a formal 30mph speed limit is installed on Kewstoke Road.

 

4.                Consultation

 

The Statutory Order process will include consultations with Town and Parish Councils, Ward Members, the Police, and others.

 

5.                Financial Implications

 

Legal, advertising and staff costs for preparing the Order will be approximately £3,000 and signs will cost a further £1,000. These costs will be met from the Directorate’s budget.

 

6.                Equality Implications

 

The Speed Limit Review Working Group is based on a commitment to treat all people equally and respect diversity.

 

7.                Corporate Implications

 

Preparation of the Order for the speed limit will require input from Legal Services, with the Order itself being sealed by the Solicitor to the Council. Speed limits are one of the tools used to promote road safety, which is a key theme of the Council’s Community Safety Strategy.

 

8.                Options considered

 

As detailed above.

 

Author

 

John Painter, Principal Engineer, Planning Policy and Transportation

 

Background Papers

 

Speed Limit Review Working Group Report to Strategic Planning and Economic Development Policy and Scrutiny Panel, 27 June 2005 (Item 8.4).