New 20 mph speed limit law: How has it affected motorists in the UK?
Visits: 8
Crash at School Crossing
Friday 14 July 2023 – mid to late morning
It rarely feels safe to use the zebra crossings in Flockton – whether at the shop end or, in this case, outside the school (school crossing railing visible in the foreground). It's not the first time a car has stopped to let pedestrians cross and then been shunted from behind by another vehicle. Although speeding above the 20mph limit may contribute to these situations, a greater issue seems to be driver attention to both, where they are, and what is happening ahead. In a village like Flockton, where the road is narrower and more congested than your average A-road, everyone – drivers and pedestrians, must always be alert to what is happening around them.
Local resident (JC) commented on our fb social media page:
"This was just the latest crash on the zebra crossing by the school. You can’t see the other car it was shunted across the crossing… A silver Peugeot stopped to allow my husband and the dog to cross, he was a quarter of the way across when he realised the black car was coming way too fast to stop so he stepped back. The black car hit the silver one with such force it was pushed over the crossing. The airbag went off in the black car and it will most certainly be a right off. It was leaking fluid from every orifice at the front, the passenger door wouldn’t open so it was all twisted.
"When the police came to get our CCTV footage they said they have never seen a 20mph through a village without other slowing methods, humps, rumble strips, cameras, etc.
"How many more near misses will it take before something is done. Or does it take a fatality????? It’s a school crossing!!!!!!!"
Posted by JC shortly after the car shunt, this happened. Not only was the car very noisy and speeding excessively, but given that JC was at the crossing, by law the driver should have slowed to a stop on an assumption a pedestrian was about to cross.
14/07/202 11:25am
Since 29 January 2022 the Highway Code (Rule H2) states that "…when it comes to pedestrians on a zebra and parallel crossing, drivers, motorcyclists, and cyclists, must give way to pedestrians waiting to cross."
And Rule 195: Zebra and parallel crossings.
As you approach a zebra crossing:
-
- look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross
- you should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross
- you MUST give way when a pedestrian has moved onto a crossing
- allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
- do not wave, flash your lights or use your horn to invite pedestrians across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
- be patient, do not sound your horn or rev your engine as this can be intimidating
- be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing.
Editorial comment: Residents have mentioned a number of things they'd like from Kirklees Council, pending a bypass or link road. These include cameras, speed bumps, and traffic lights at pedestrian crossings. The Council will talk about both cost and a need for fatalities to justify the expense for such suggestions – hence the current compromise of 20 mph signage.
I wasn't aware that Highways put speed bumps on A-roads, but given this statement (found on the Internet) perhaps they do:
"Speed bumps should be fitted on roads that have a speed limit of a maximum of 30 mph. Speed bumps are to be affixed for an area to have a 20 mph speed limit and where there are street lights and low traffic."
Interesting that the word "should" is used.
However, some organisations, such as the AA, say:
"As we discovered in a 2016 survey, inventions such as speed bumps are not exactly beloved. While effective when properly used, traffic calming measures have been accused of increasing exhaust fumes from braking cars, slowing down emergency vehicles and angering residents."
If you mention 'average speed over distance' cameras at each end of the village, critics suggest that people may turn into, or out of, side roads, but generally, the vast majority of traffic is simply driving through the village from one end to the other, in either direction. Perhaps, given the danger of using the zebra (Pelican) crossings, they should have traffic lights added.
Visits: 96
Public Engagement Survey – Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
"In nearly every community meeting I have been so far this year, one topic that keeps coming up is speeding, parking and related traffic issues and this was of course the topic of the public meeting I hosted last week at Shepley Methodists.
"The priorities for the Police Force are set by the West Yorkshire Mayor and she has just published a public engagement survey, it takes a few minutes to fill in but the more people that do so and share their concerns/issues, the more chance we have of effecting change. Please click on the link below and complete the survey and please share it far and wide, so we get the maximum numbers of responses. The bigger the response rate, the more likely something will change as a result of it." – Cllr John Taylor (Posted on social media 27 June 2022)
Visits: 127
3 Near Misses on Flockton Rat-Run
Tony Earnshaw – Local Democracy Reporter – YorkshireLive, writes…
"Three near misses in Huddersfield village plagued by rat-run motorists
"Campaigners wanting a bypass for Flockton say it is like living next to a motorway.
"People living in Flockton say they are continuing to be plagued by dangerous and fast-moving traffic in their village.
"One woman complained of three near misses in recent days, while another said she was actually hit by a car too close to the kerb as she walked with crutches." Read full article here.
"In July Dewsbury MP Mark Eastwood raised the notion of a Flockton Bypass in the House of Commons.
"He described it as "an urgent priority" and offered his full support to campaigners."
Visits: 80
West Yorkshire Police Submissions Portal
West Yorkshire Police have launched a new system where the force will receive dash cam footage and other forms of digital media from members of the public of where a suspected offence relating to road safety has taken place.
Road safety is a top priority for the force and this will help our aim to prevent deaths and serious injuries on our road network.
The potential offences that the new system will look at include: dangerous driving, driver distraction – including using a mobile phone, driving without due care and attention, careless driving, overtaking on solid white lines, not being in proper control of the vehicle, and traffic light contraventions.
Paul Jeffrey, Prosecutions and Casualty Prevention Manager for West Yorkshire Police, said:
"Dash cams are becoming increasingly popular with motorists across West Yorkshire and we want to work with the public to improve driver behaviour and address offending.
"Any death on our roads is unacceptable and this is part of our ongoing commitment to make West Yorkshire’s roads safer.
"We have been working hard with our IT department to develop this portal. Our new digital submissions teams will then review the footage and take steps to identify the driver.
"If the clip is good enough, and we have enough evidence of an offence taking place, the options we can take include offering the driver a retraining course, issuing a fixed penalty notice, or seeking a prosecution.
"We are expecting a high demand for this service, so please bear with us."
West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Mark Burns Williamson, added:
"For some time I have been working with the Force to help bring about this important change and to capitalise upon the technology now available to offer this capability which I really welcome.”
"Over the years, I have heard first hand from communities, partners and local campaign groups, about the importance of road safety and this has always been reflected as a key priority within my Police and Crime Plan.
"The introduction of this crucial digital media tool, however, now represents a significant milestone in our collective offer and commitment to improving safety on our roads.
"Simply, the knowledge that road safety offences could now potentially be captured by anyone and easily shared with the police through this portal, will ultimately positively impact upon behaviours on a preventative level.
"Likewise, it will help to ensure victims and witnesses have the necessary support when reporting an incident in this way, and why it’s taken a while to build the right digital team capacity and IT solutions to make it available to the public.
"I will be closely monitoring the progress of the new system with interest and how we can take full advantage of all its benefits in due course."
For this news item, frequently asked questions on the Safer Roads Media Submissions Portal and to submit dash cam footage please click on this link (opens in new window).
Links:
Accreditations / Cyber Essentials
Visits: 610
Enforceability of 20 mph speed limits
Posted to the Flockton Bypass facebook group (10 April 2019) by David Rawling:
An extract from Section 12 of the link. The last paragraph tells us what the community already know, but needs the authorities to act upon:
The study has shown that the speed at which people drive is influenced more by the look and feel of the road, than whether a 20 mph or 30 mph limit is in place. It appears that some roads where 20 mph limits have been implemented are naturally ‘self-explaining roads’ where drivers ‘instinctively’ drive more slowly (because their length provides less opportunity to build-up speed, visibility may be limited, drivers do not feel that they have sufficient space to drive faster or feel that it is appropriate to do so, and because they serve local start/end destinations only). In other cases, the look and feel of the road naturally encourages higher speeds. In many cases the implementation of a 20 mph limit has simply formalised existing behaviour.
The challenge is how to change driver attitudes and behaviour in other locations. Evidence from this study (and others) shows that bigger speed reductions occur on faster roads, with higher volumes of traffic and providing a locally important strategic function.
Circular 01/2013 encourages authorities to consider introducing 20 mph limits on more major streets where foot and cycle movements are important, but also advises that where average speeds exceed 24 mph, the introduction of signage only is unlikely to lead to 20 mph compliance. This study supports this advice and confirms that on faster roads more needs to be done to achieve compliance and maximise the benefits. Even on these types of roads the actual reduction in speeds has been small, with lowering the speed limit using signs alone leading to a reduction in speed of about 1 mph. Without supporting measures to encourage compliance, there is a risk that non-compliance with the speed limit becomes the norm.
Road Safety Fact Sheet (20 mph zones)
20 mph speed limits on roads: Report into the effectiveness of 20 miles per hour (mph) road speed limits.
Visits: 144
New 20 MPH Signs Arrive In Flockton
Update: April 2019
"Following on from the installation of the 20mph zone, I have talked to Highways about some of the comments I have been receiving from local residents. Highways have agreed to install some more 20mph roundels, so that there is more visibility of these through the 20mph zone and they will also be arranging to paint 20mph signs on the road surface at the access points." – Cllr. John Taylor (as posted on Flockton facebook pages)
"Further to John's post regarding the 20mph Zone, we have also had a note from the Police that they will be undertaking some enforcement in the next few weeks." – Cllr. Richard Smith
Here they are – a little earlier than expected. Complete with artwork by children from Flockton C of E C First School.
There are 4 signs altogether – 2 at each end of the village.
There are some nice photographs on the school's public facebook page. I am currently awaiting a reply to see if we can have permission to embed the post on this page.
Visits: 359
Highways Responds to Traffic Recording Strips
Cllr John Taylor has now received a response from Highways, following the recent use of traffic recording (count and speed) strips placed throughout Flockton village, from 16 May 2018.
"The detailed response from Highways about my request, supported by Jacqui Gedman, the Chief Executive and my ward Colleagues for an end to end road safety audit of Barnsley Rd and the reason for the recording strips that were across the road. Rather than summaries I have copied below the entire response."
"We have now received the speed counts back that we did before the half term holidays, which have allowed us to better assess the extents of any speed limit changes for the village. The team have also spent some time walking up and down the village to get a feel for where the issues are, and looked at the casualty information for the full length of the current 30mph section.
All of the 7 traffic counters we placed recorded speeds in both directions, over the full week, and from that we know that the slowest speeds through the village were recorded on either approach to the school , and then gets gradually faster as you travel away. Phill will also send the full summary of results next week, but the average speed across all the counts is around 28mph eastbound and 32mph westbound.
The 2 outer counters, one approaching Haigh Lane (from Grange Moor), the other approaching Hardcastle Lane, from the M1, also classified the vehicles travelling over them, and identified their direction of travel.
From this information we know that average of 419 HGV’s (7.8% of the overall traffic volume) travelled Westbound* towards the M1 (in 24 hrs), in contravention of the existing weight limit order. Whilst some of those may have been legitimately delivering to the village, it is likely that some are not. We will now be sharing the count information with the Police, so they can target enforcement, once they feel confident that the weight limit order is written in a way that allows them to prosecute without challenge. I know Joe Walker has been in touch with you regarding this.
The team have used all this info to score a scheme to reduce the speed limit through the village, against the Policy and the agreed criteria. They will be contacting you with draft proposals for a 20mph speed limit next week, along with the full count summary for each site.
The hope is that you and your ward colleagues will be able to sense check the limits of the proposed 20mph limit, and then advise on the best methods of consultation with the village residents.
The 20mph limit will be supported by a refresh of all the lining, 20mph repeater signs, both on sign posts, but also in roundels on the carriageway, and features on the ground, on approach to the new 20 limit, to slow traffic down.
The Road Safety team will also be contacting the school this month to discuss working with them on a competition to design some road signs to go at the entrance to the 20mph limit, and also on what additional education and training we can do with them, including refreshing their travel plan, and what we can do to help encourage more of their children to walk to school.
If we start the ball rolling with them now, then they have time to plan time for the sign designs to be worked on when the children return to school after the summer.
That will coincide with, hopefully, the completed consultation with the village, the formal advertising of a scheme through Sept, to allow a scheme on the ground in Oct, assuming no objections are received to the formal advertising."
John concludes by saying: "Clearly there is a lot to do and with my ward Colleagues we will work with you on the detail regarding this. As I say, this is hot news, from an email I just received and hopefully we can flesh this out a little at the public meeting [held in the Church, on Friday 15 June at 6:30 pm] and I will share more on here as and when I get more detail."
*Should be Eastbound
Visits: 120
