Department for Transport: Plan for Drivers

Sometimes two things pop into the editor@curryrivel.org.uk mailbox that are loosely linked, and quite likely to polarise opinion, so why not put them together!

Residents seek 20mph speed limit

Firstly, a number of Somerset residents have approached Somerset Council with road safety concerns, seeking new 20mph speed limits. Fifteen towns and villages are potentially impacted (see list below). The proposed changes will be funded by the communities themselves if they are implemented.

Somerset Council reported a number of requests for reduced speed limits to either 20mph or 30mph and invited applications for reductions to 20mph if communities were willing to fund the design and implementation, complying with Department for Transport criteria.

The 15 proposed new 20 mph limits are in the following towns and villages

• Cannington
• Castle Cary and Ansford
• Chard
• Chewton Mendip
• Crowcombe
• Ditcheat and Alhampton
• Ilchester
• Monksilver
• North Petherton
• Othery
• Otterford
• Pilton
• Ruishton
• Trudoxhill
• Wincanton

So not Curry Rivel, but if you travel through or to any of these areas then your journey could be impacted so do watch out for further information.

The consultation is open locally for comment until 8th April.

Meanwhile, in other news

The Department for Transport has announced a crackdown on 'anti-driver' road schemes and blanket 20mph limits.

It proposes strengthened guidance to ensure Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph speed limits have support of local people after a survey showed only 18% of respondents felt their views had been listened to.

Last month the Department for Transport published draft statutory guidance for councils on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), setting out that they must gain buy-in from local residents, businesses and emergency services when considering implementing new LTN schemes.

Councils have also received updated guidance on setting 20mph speed limits, reminding them to reserve them for sensible and appropriate areas only – such as outside schools – and with safety and local support at the heart of the decision. Local authorities are expected to consider this guidance, and as with the LTN guidance, this could have implications for the awarding of funding in future.

Local authorities are expected to follow the guidance and ensure local people support their plans. Recent examples where councils have implemented these schemes without proper public support have been shown to cause disruption and have unintended negative consequences.

If local authorities fail to deliver sensible road schemes that work for local people they could see future funding withdrawn, and under powers from the Traffic Management Act, the Government could ultimately take control of an authority's roads where they are deemed to be widely mismanaged.

The aim is that motorists should benefit from smoother journeys and reduced congestion, with local people getting a stronger voice on road schemes that affect them; discouraging over-zealous traffic enforcement; strengthening guidance on 20mph limits – all included in a raft of measures included in the Government's Plan for Drivers.

Further measures included in the plan are;

• guidance making it simpler and easier for councils to charge utility companies who slow down drivers with street works
• a consultation aiming to shake up motor insurance to prevent those caught without it from claiming from the Motor Insurers' Bureau
• nuisance boy-racers who illegally modify their exhausts and disturb our streets are also being targeted.

Research reveals the success of noise cameras in cracking down on illegally modified exhausts and anti-social drivers. Local authorities will be encouraged to install noise cameras after successful trials in Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol and Great Yarmouth.

The Plan for Drivers also launched grants for schools to rollout EV charge points, pledged £8.3 billion for road resurfacing by reallocating HS2 funds, £20 million to reduce poor traffic light performance with technology that responds to live traffic conditions and issued new guidance on the use of bus lanes to ensure they only operate when necessary.

Amongst many other things!

You can read or download the full document Plan for Drivers HERE.