Over 50 people commented on our request for views about a 20mph speed limit in Yoxford. The majority were in favour. The Parish Council discussed it at a recent meeting. Although we would like to get the limit lowered to 20mph, we know from previous discussions, that our County Councillor does not support 20mph limits. We also know that the County Council’s 20mph speed limit policy excludes A roads, B roads, and roads where current average speeds exceed 24mph. Rather than waste your money requesting a speed limit change that will be rejected, we are campaigning to get the County Council to change its 20mph policy, remove its restrictions, and implement 20mph limits where there is strong local support. The first step in our campaign is a petition to the County Council. If you would like to sign the petition please complete the form below. If you all agree, please ask everyone in your household to sign. That includes children, as long as they understand and agree they can sign (use a parents’ email address if they don’t have one of their own). The full text of the petition is below the form.
Paul Ashton
Please complete this form to sign the petition
Full Text of the Petition
The speed of traffic through our Suffolk towns and villages is about achieving a balance between the need of traffic to pass through, and the need for a safe and pleasant environment for people who live and work there. At the moment the balance is completely in favour of the vehicles. They have right of way everywhere except the occasional pedestrian crossing, travel at speeds no human can run, cause accidents, anxiety and a generally unpleasant living environment. In that context, our requests are fairly modest. We ask
- Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner to do more to tackle speeding in our Suffolk towns and villages,
- Suffolk County Council to rewrite its 20mph speed limit policy,
- Suffolk County Council to look much more favourably on requests for 20mph speed limits and make budget available for their introduction.
The current 20mph policy makes it almost impossible for a 20mph limit to be introduced anywhere where there is support. It excludes A and B roads and places where the current average speed is greater than 24mph. This is wrong. The criteria for assessing a request for a 20mph limit should be
- Is there strong local support?
- Do the road or roads have characteristics that warrant a 20mph limit? Things like a school, on road parking, narrow roads, narrow pavements, no pavements, passing trade for local businesses and amenities, significant cyclist and pedestrian activity (especially from vulnerable groups), houses close to the road, concealed entrances, poor line of sight and so on.
The restriction on A and B roads should be removed. The restriction based on current average speeds should also be removed. The current speed of traffic should be used to decide the additional traffic calming measures required to implement a 20mph limit, but it is not relevant to deciding whether a 20mph limit is required.