Agenda item

To consider a report from the 20mph Task & Finish Working Group, that summarises its findings and proposes recommendations for the Select Committee to endorse for consideration by the Director of Universal Services.

The Select Committee considered a report from 20mph Speed Limit Policy Task & Fish Group (item 8 in the minute book), that had been established in January 2022.

The report was summarised by officers, and it was highlighted that the Select Committee was not being asked to make any decisions on a final policy, only to make recommendations for further consideration following the research and learnings from the Task & Finish Group.

It was acknowledged that that ambitions summarised wouldn’t be implemented all at once, and so would need to be prioritised. Achieving support from motorists would also be paramount in the success of any initiatives as there would always be an element of self-enforcement.

The Task & Group had researched other similar initiatives as part of its research, and it was agreed that it was important to not make restrictions too difficult to implement, and to focus more on creating new normal ways of driving in order to encourage a gradual culture change on roads and in particular areas.

It was noted that some Members of the Task & Finish Group did not support the final recommendations as they felt that some elements were too restrictive.

Councillor Nick Adams-King thanked the Select Committee for its consideration of the policy and also the deputations and officers, and assured that time would be invested in looking at it further ahead of any final recommendations going to Cabinet later in the year.

RESOLVED

The Universal Services - Transport and Environment Select Committee endorsed the recommendations below for submission to the Director of Universal Services for further consideration:

a)    The County Council should encourage wider use of 20mph restrictions and ease back on the current casualty focused criteria for 20mph speed limits, with casualty data to be an important factor in the prioritisation of requests.

b)    A hierarchy of road function to be used to identify and evaluate requirements for a 20mph speed limit to be established.  Routes serving a strategic function to have more stringent criterion whereas minor and local roads would have less conditions.  This would link directly to and reflect the ‘Movement and Place’ Frameworkset out in the Hampshire Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4). 

c)    Relax the current 24mph mean average speed threshold to 26mph for non-strategic roads, subject to Police views.

d)    Enable 20mph speed limit schemes to be introduced in new and existing modern developments in slow speed environments built in accordance with Manual for Streets, subject to developers funding contributions.

e)    Enable 20 mph speed limits as part of significant area wide regeneration projects.

f)     Relax the current requirement to move Speed Limit Reminder (SLR) and Speed Indicator Device (SID) signs every 2-3 weeks and allow devices to be re-deployed at locations giving more flexibility to address key locations. Speed data from such devices to be used for assessing/supporting 20mph limits where appropriate.

g)    Wider use of Advisory ’20 mph When Lights Show’ signs. Prioritisation to be given to schools with active travel plans and those who participate in the County Council’s Road Safety Education, Training and Publicity programmes.

h)    Applicants must demonstrate that a 20mph speed limit is supported by the majority of the community and commit to the setting up and operation of a Community Speedwatch group.

i)     Requests for 20mph limits to be assessed and scored subject to prioritisation using assessment criterion for requests.