Flintshire County Council officers are proposing to consolidate all the county’s speed limits into one Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), following difficulties implementing a review of limits dating back to 2009.
Another Welsh council that has already consolidated its speed limit TROs told Transport Network the move has improved enforceability and simplified maintenance.
In June last year, Transport Network reported delays in implementing a speed reduction programme in Flintshire, which was initially ordered by the Welsh Government in 2009.
Some confused signs in Flintshire. Picture: Rhodri Clark
Stephen Jones, Flintshire’s streetscene and transportation chief officer, will tell councillors on Wednesday (14 September) that completing the speed limit review was ‘time consuming and excessively complex’, mainly due to having to revoke and amend TROs.
Many TROs were out of date, or records did not correspond to orders displayed on site. Some gave conflicting road names, and some had been partially or entirely revoked in error.
‘In order to easily implement any future speed limit Orders on the highway network, to an enforceable standard, it is essential that this situation is addressed as a matter of urgency,’ Mr Jones says in a report.
Consolidation would place all speed limit orders into a single controlled environment. ‘This approach will also allow the authority’s speed limits to be both viewed and advertised within a simple and easy to understand map-based format, which will promote a transparent approach to both existing
Information on all limits would be publicly accessible on the council’s website.
Torfaen CBC, a small unitary authority in South Wales, consolidated its speed limit TROs during its recent review.
Paul Wheeldon, Torfaen's group leader highways development, said the police had previously been unable to enforce some limits but the consolidated order made all limits enforceable. ‘It’s easier to make changes, and we have a better maintenance record,’ he said.
Mr Jones also reveals in his report that Flintshire streetscene officers are drafting templates for TRO amendments, which will eliminate their reliance on the authority’s legal department. ‘Legal services approval will only be required for amendments of templates, and no longer be required on an individual case basis.’
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