Newcastle City Council is set to introduce a mandatory signed-only 20mph speed limit on all neighbourhood streets.
The scheme will be modelled on a similar initiative in Portsmouth, and follows the success of a pilot study in Newcastle, across eight city zones, which proved that traffic speeds can be reduced ‘solely by installing traffic signs’.
The pilot was particularly effective at changing driver behaviour at speeds above 30mph, with 6.8% exceeding the 30mph statutory speed limit following the introduction of the advisory speed limits, compared with 8.8% before. The council said it was encouraged by revised government guidance (Setting local speed limits) allowing for the introduction of statutory, enforceable guidance in town centres.
‘Fortunately, we have avoided a great deal of abortive and costly engineering work, and now have an opportunity to implement a mandatory scheme for the same cost as an advisory scheme,’ according to a report submitted to committee.
David Ord, Newcastle’s project engineer for traffic management, said the council had initially wanted an advisory scheme, but Portsmouth’s scheme highlighted the success of a mandatory scheme and drew attention to the new government guidance.
Similar to Portsmouth’s scheme, the speed limits will be signed-only, except for those streets which have not met the guidance of a mean speed limit of 24mph or below, in which case traffic-calming measures would be installed. On residential roads with bus routes, operators would be consulted ‘significantly’.
Officers would also be able to ‘exercise discretion’ when considering the mandatory speed limits on streets on the classified road network or those used by the bus network. The programme is expected to cost £1.4M, and will be delivered within two years.
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