Rollout of 20mph scheme in town
Wednesday 1st October 2008, 11:40AM BST.
Motorists in Shrewsbury will face a 20mph speed limit on more sections of the town centre’s roads under plans to extend it.
Shropshire County Council says it has received no objection to proposals to roll out the 20mph speed limit to more sections of road.
It means the limit will soon be rolled out to cover the remainder of Castle Gates and Meadow Place to the English Bridge, in addition to a short section on Lower Claremont Bank.
Jason Hughes, the county council’s principal engineer, said: “The proposal to extend the 20mph speed limit in the town centre to include the remainder of Castle Gates and Meadow Place to the English Bridge and a short section on Lower Claremont Bank has been advertised and the consultation period is now ended.
“We have received no objections to the proposal and will now be looking to roll out the scheme.”
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Surely any vehicle travelling at more than 20mph during the consultation period should be counted as an ‘objector’. If motorists have been travelling at more than this speed, then they must have considered it safe to do so, and therefore, by default, would be against this limit ?
Report abuse
David, I disagree.
The vast majority of people in this country respect rules and observe speed limits.
This is partly out of respect to the residents, pedestrians and cyclists, for whom the limits are introduced, and partly because of enforcement.
Report abuse
Huw, what you say is true but what David says is also true.
As I explained to you before, speed limits should be set with respect to the “Mean Speed” which is what the majority of drivers feel is a safe limit.
Councils unfortunately don’t follow this Dept for Transport Guidline but reduce speed limits even if the majority feel that the limit is too low.
Report abuse
You seem to be disagreeing with something I havent said.
I said if drivers are driving at more than 20mph during the consultation period they must consider it safe to do so, and therefore would not see a reduction of the limit to 20mph as sensible.
However although I never said that the majority of people in this country dont respect rules and observe speed limits, I would like to hear your justification for such a statement.
If you drive at 71mph on any motorway in this country, for every car you pass, at least 5 will pass you. That would appear to indicate that 80% are not observing speed limits.
Follow a car into a 30mph zone and I guarantee you in 90% or more cases they will enter that zone in excess of the speed limit.
Report abuse
This new scheme came out of the blue for me, so much for wide consultation, this is yet a further attempt to deter drivers from going into the town centre. A poor SCC and SABC council have through Park Right, and the new road enhancements curtailed my shopping in the town in favour of Telford or Chester.
This is going to be another white elephant, like the traffic calming measures in Sutton Road that are now to be removed in less than one year of installation, remember the cobbles that had to be lifted, the fact that through incompetence at this time as soon as a bus stops outside St Mary’s church the whole town traffic system comes to a halt, come on, lets get some professionals in PLEASE.
Report abuse
I got Davids point.
Huw’s point is lost on me as I walked home past one of those sign that flash “30mph” if you exceed it, and not one car failed to trigger it! Mostpeople do speed Huw where they fell it is safe to do so.
But Lins point is the most valid one. She is one of the traders who give the town its life-line, Why do they never listen to the traders who pay the business rates, employ people and boost the overall economy?
Report abuse
In 40 years of motoring, covering well over 800,000 miles, I have NEVER been asked my opinion on any motoring issue by any authority.
So I don’t find it surprising that Jason Hughes says:
““We have received no objections to the proposal and will now be looking to roll out the scheme.”
As a motorist of above average experience, in terms of time, and distance travelled, I would say that this 20mph speed limit is uneccessary and unworkable.
There is far too much restriction on our roads already, which I find is totally at odds with those views shared by the more experienced and qualifed motoring public
Report abuse
Futhermore:
If we reduced the speed limit to zero, then of course we would have a perfectly safe (and green) environment, since no one is moving, no energy is being expended, and thus no collsions could occur.
Such is the extension, and inevitable conclusion of the simplistic logic being applied here.
On the other hand, if one applies more logical reasoning to the “mathematics” of road safety, it becomes clear that speed is only one (and probably a minor one) of several parameters in the (complex) equation determining safety, and probable outcomes of any set of potential hazards.
I seems quite clear to me that, either the authorities don’t want to understand this, or,
They are hell bent on persecuting the motoring public, in the hope they will drive us to extinction.
I can’t believe they are that stupid.
Therefore …
It seems to me that this impostion of ludicrous speed limits has nothing to do with anything other than:
“driving” the motoring public, who provide much needed goods, services, and economic activity, out of town.
Great work lads !
Keep it up!
Report abuse
I saw on TV that the air polution in Tewkesbury Town Centre is worse than the M5! All because the traffic is going too slow so they will have to spend loads of money solving the problem.
Looks like this will happen in Shrewsbury!
Report abuse
I think some French style protests are in order. If for one week, everyone in the country left their transport at home and tried to use public transport, what do you think would happen?
Absolute chaos of course.
But this is needed before these ‘idiots’ in councils and government positions realise that util they sort out a radical new way of making public transport actually work -without forcing people out of their own vehicles- their schemes are doomed to failure and abuse.
As has been said already, get some professionals in to work the problem, not cause it.
Report abuse
Well I’m not using public transport for a week – too many smelly people on it.
Report abuse