Rural road limit could be slashed in half (From Bucks Free Press)
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Rural road limit could be slashed in half
8:20am Friday 9th July 2010 in
RURAL roads in a residential area could have their speed limit slashed by half following a petition.
All roads currently set at the national speed limit of 60mph could be reduced to 30mph in Cookham Dean.
Householders have been sent a questionnaire as part of a consultation asking if they would like to see the change.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead decided to put the question to residents after a petition handed to councillors in 2008.
Tony Carr, traffic and road safety manager at RBWM, said it would be 'feasible' but warned it would not be cheap and could take some time.
He said: "There are concerns from a lot of residents in the area and the suggestion is that we put on a 30mph limit across the area as a whole.
"It does depend on the funding that is available, clearly to introduce a 30mph limit would be relatively expensive so it would perhaps be introduced in sections but that depends on the budgets available at the time."
If there is broad support for the change, it will take up to four months going through the legal procedures before a scheme is put into place, he said.
The consultation runs until July 23.
Comments(18)
A VOTER
says...
9:06am Fri 9 Jul 10
.
If it's too expensive, then the authorities are more stupid than they already appear to be, by paying over the odds for a relatively simple job.
acjy1985
says...
9:29am Fri 9 Jul 10
miccles
says...
9:37am Fri 9 Jul 10
A VOTER wrote:Have you ever known a local authority to spend money wisely???????????
Not that I'm in favour of a 30mph limit on rural roads, but just how expensive can it be to put up a few 30mph signs?
.
If it's too expensive, then the authorities are more stupid than they already appear to be, by paying over the odds for a relatively simple job.
On another note, is it me, or just lately there has been news about Cookham and surrounding areas, which i think is in RBWM area, why?????????????????
???
Correct me if i'm wrong.
Is Bucks becoming boring, or not enough happening?????????
A VOTER
says...
9:41am Fri 9 Jul 10
miccles
says...
9:45am Fri 9 Jul 10
A VOTER wrote:Royal Borough Windsor & Maidenhead.
RBWM?
acjy1985
says...
9:54am Fri 9 Jul 10
Mutley
says...
10:51am Fri 9 Jul 10
A VOTER wrote:I think you'll find that putting up a few 30 signs is not that expensive. The problem is that the sign alone does not suffice. All sorts of legal stuff has to be done backing it up to designate exactly which stretches of road are affected. And, I guess, the legal stuff (lawyers!) don't come cheap! At least it's not my council tax.
Not that I'm in favour of a 30mph limit on rural roads, but just how expensive can it be to put up a few 30mph signs? . If it's too expensive, then the authorities are more stupid than they already appear to be, by paying over the odds for a relatively simple job.
A VOTER
says...
11:12am Fri 9 Jul 10
.
Then there's the labour, to dig the hole, assemble & place the sign, and finally fill the hole with the concrete. So in council terms, that's five workers plus one driver, all on about £120 per day, and of course it will take an entire day, so that's £600 labour.
.
So far, we're into £700 per sign. Expensive, but not the total cost.
.
But you're right Mutley, there's all the legal stuff: An external consultation company will be hired to find out if the locals want the reduced speed limits, and that'll cost about £15,000. Then there will be consultation with the emergency services, about £25,000. Consultation with Highways Agency, about £25,000. Consultation with council planners, About £10,000. Consultation with Environmental Services, £10,000. Then, they have to decide where to site the signs, so that's another £20,000. A Monitored Trial period will have to be organised, along with additional signage to advise people of a change to the local speeding restrictions, another £100,000
.
Giving a grand total of £205,000 just for Bureaucratic services.
.
Did anyone want to illuminate these signs at night?
guesswork
says...
11:20am Fri 9 Jul 10
holtspurman
says...
1:01pm Fri 9 Jul 10
A VOTER
says...
1:14pm Fri 9 Jul 10
holtspurman wrote:AND... A Big Yellow Storage Facility...
I hope all those good people of Cookhan realise that by dropping the speed limit will make it easier for developers to get planning permission to access roads from possible new housing developments. Just a thought!
That would look very nice in Cookham! ;-)
Malc London
says...
1:14pm Fri 9 Jul 10
Blueberry
says...
1:56pm Fri 9 Jul 10
.
Maybe it's justified, maybe it's not.
.
My point is that they should also consider the views of road users.
.
If 60mph roads across the nation were reduced to 30mph across the country, the congestion and longer travel times might not be so popular.
J B Blackett
says...
4:05pm Fri 9 Jul 10
Blueberry wrote:Not necessarily true . It depends on road characteristics, timing and other local circumstances. It's not the same answer countrywide, volume/type of traffic or even time of day.
If they only ask residents, of course most will vote for a big reduction in speed.
.
Maybe it's justified, maybe it's not.
.
My point is that they should also consider the views of road users.
.
If 60mph roads across the nation were reduced to 30mph across the country, the congestion and longer travel times might not be so popular.
.
Under some situations traffic flow is increased by lowering speed limits. This tends to prevent bunching , risky overtaking and tail-gating. This has been proven on such roads as the M25 and the A1 in recent times.
.
The problem in the over-populated SE is too many people driving too many vehicles on a saturated road system or doing very short journeys for 'convenience'. People are attached now to their own transport because public transport has not proved adequate to the task or too pricey.
.
Only a hike in price of petrol or another oil crisis or energy war will ease the problems in the short term.
.
In the long term the problem will resolve itself one way or another no matter what is done by the authorities - but neither we or they will see the 'inevitable' coming.
.
Regards
Malc London
says...
4:19pm Fri 9 Jul 10
J B Blackett
says...
6:19pm Fri 9 Jul 10
.
The traffic is currently monitored on the M25 via CCTV and applies this technique , so the Highway Agency says, to avoid traffic jams and to keep the traffic flowing.
.
Of course if you know more about this topic , have some relevant research experience or other information and have looked into this subject more than these scientists and engineers , then you are entitled to say what you have found out. But you'll have to prove it to the appropriate authorities , not just use hearsay or unsubstantiated items, which they will not accept.
.
Regards
PS I though that overtaking and tailgating was illegal and punishable by fine and points on your licence even a driving ban ?
demoness
says...
7:31am Sat 10 Jul 10
I would far rather drive to London in traffic as there are some complete **** who think that doing 60 mph on a country road on a blind bend is completely acceptable.
So for the record if you are one of those bullies who try to force someone doing a respectable speed on a windy road to go faster take it from me...
I will go slower not faster as I do not like being bullied.
I will stop you killing yourself and me and others.
You are not more important than anyone else.
I speed when it is safe to do so not when some idiot thinks I should.
Rant over ... as you were. :)))
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tigeran says...
8:51am Fri 9 Jul 10