Speed sign on Wetheby Road which needs replacing
A meeting next week will consider a Council officials response to residents’ concerns about speeding traffic on Wetherby Road. The report follows the collection of a petition which asked for
- the reinstatement and modernisation of both flashing speed warning signs on the road
- the police to site their speed camera van in the built-up area on Wetherby Road on an occasional basis.
One of the flashing signs (on the odd numbered, Acomb Ward, side of the road) has been missing for over 2 years. It was faulty and the expectations were that it would be repaired and returned to its site.
Now officials say that speeds are lower on Wetherby Road and that, if a sign is too be provided, then it will have to be funded through the delegated budget held by Acomb Ward Councillors. They go on to say that they approached the Councillors for the Acomb Ward (Cllrs Keith Myers and Stuart Barnes) in 2017 asking them to fund a replacement, but received no response. A new ward budget will be available from 1st April 2019 so the request could be renewed.
The report claims that vehicle speeds on the built-up section of Wetherby Road have reduced since the buffer 40 mph limit was introduced on the “rural” section 2 years ago.
Before and after speeds were recorded and are reproduced in a table (below).
Speed check results
As might be expected they show a small reduction in the speed of vehicles in the urban area (Eastbound), although speeds on the rural stretch actually increased.
The “after” figures were, however, taken in August 2017 before work on enlarging the ring road roundabout had been completed. One of the main reasons why residents collected the petition was a concern that the easier access across and from the A1237 would lead to increased speeds.
We think that the Acomb Ward Councillors should agree to fund a replacement speed sign.
new style speed signs
Elsewhere, at the same meeting, officials are recommending that the newer type of speed sign, which shows the actual speed of an approaching vehicle, should be trialled in the City. Unfortunately the sites identified, for the trial introduction of the signs, are all in eastern York. This type of sign is in common use elsewhere in Yorkshire and beyond.
The Council should agree to add Wetherby Road to the trial locations.
In additional they should support residents calls for the occasional “deterrent” siting of the camera van on the urban section of Wetherby Road