More 20 mph speed limits slipped through by Labour 3 days after losing York Council control.

Strong Police objections overruled in “behind closed doors” decision

Behind closed doors logo

Papers published today confirm that a Council official has nodded through the introduction of 20 mph speed limits on 3 more roads in the York area. The decision meeting took place on 21st October but no notice of the meeting was given to opposition Councillors.

The roads concerned are:

  • Heslington Road (part of)
  • Hospital Fields Road (full extent)
  • Broad Highway, Wheldrake (part of)

The Police objected to the proposals saying, in a strongly worded letter, that they would not be able to enforce the 20 mph limit.

 Their objection – which can be read by clicking here – points out that average speeds are below 30 mph anyway and that at least one of the roads is not “residential” in character.

In another, the Police question whether the change proposed might actually increase speeds near a school increasing, rather than reducing, accident potential

It is possible that the changes do have the support of local Ward Councillors.

But the expectation was that the new Council would immediately stop the practice of holding private “decision” meetings before subsequently publishing – sometimes days later – agendas and supporting papers.

Residents have a right to make additional representations on proposals if they chose. They can’t do so if a decision has already been taken.

The opposition group Leaders seem to have been out manoeuvred on this issue – and a similar one concerning TransPennine Express and Northern Rail franchises  where there is no sign of any opposition influence.

Opposition Councillors will need to raise their game quickly on the newly balanced Council.

York will expect open decision making and genuine consultation from now on.

No speed surveys undertaken in West York

 

The Council has confirmed that no checks on vehicle speeds in West York have been undertaken since the controversial 20 mph speed limit signs were put up.

The lack of monitoring is likely to be raised at the council meeting taking place on 9th October.

It seems strange that, having spent £600,000 on new signs ,the Council has n’tbothered to check whether they have had any effect on driver behaviour

The revelation comes as yet another anomaly with the 20 mph signing has been found.

Drivers coming down Green Lane towards the roundabout are told that the speed limit on one side of the road is 20 mph while on the other it is 30 mph!

Green Lane speed signs 2

20’s plenty campaign – private correspondence revealed by Council

Copies of Emails between Councillors and officials in York – exchanged in the run up to the launch of the wide area 20 mph speed limits in west York last year – have been published by the Council.20 mph sign

The exchange of Emails can be viewed by clicking here and here

The project cost £600,000 to implement

The correspondence includes a request from Cllr Anna Semlyen for the use of a police radar speed gun (!)

This was the same Labour Councillor who argued that 20 mph speed limits should be introduced without consultation with residents.

Subsequently, as we now know, the new limits have had no effect on traffic speeds.

20 mph speed limits in East York nodded through

Delegated decision taken by temporary Director behind closed doors.Behind closed doors logo

Residents have long given up hope that common sense would prevail and that this programme would be shelved at least until the impact on accident levels in west York was more fully understood.

In other City’s the introduction of 20 mph limits has coincided with an increase in the number of serious accidents on  affected roads.

Only a handful of residents responded to the formal advertisement of the traffic orders.

The new Council, when elected next May, will have to decide whether to pull down the 20 mph signs.

Any increase in accident levels is likely to make this a high priority.

 

Serious accident levels in 20 mph zones still on increase

New government statistics say there were 521 accidents on York’s road during 2013.

There were no fatalities although there were 58 serious and 463 minor accidents.

Although the wide area 20 mph speed limit was introduced towards the end of the year and will have little impact on the numbers, elsewhere in the country serious accident levels in 20 mph limit area increased by 29 per cent while slight casualties went up by 19 per cent. 

This confirms a trend form previous years.

In the same year, there was a decrease in the number of serious and slight accidents on 30mph roads and 40 mph roads. 

Serious accidents went down nine per cent on 30mph roads and seven per cent on 40 mph roads.

There was a five per cent reduction in slight accidents on 30 mph roads and a three per cent decrease on 40 mph roads.

The York council has always claimed that the main aim of the new 20 mph speed limits – which are widely ignored by drivers – was not to reduce accidents.

They have always failed to explain why they think the £0.6 million cost of the schemes could not be more usefully spent at accident blackspots.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists chief executive Simon Best commented:
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