CALLS to introduce new speed limits in towns and villages in East Sussex are expected to be considered by a senior county councilor next week.
On Monday, June 21, Clare Dowling, a senior member of the East Sussex County Council for Transport, is expected to consider a motion calling for speed limits of 20 mph on “city and village roads” in the county.
The motion, from Ouse Valley West and Downs councilor Sarah Osborne (Lib Dem), is scheduled for a full council debate next month.
Cllr Osborne’s motion reads: “East Sussex County Council agrees to ask cabinet to set a default speed limit of 20 mph by default for urban and village roads.
“This does not mean ‘all roads’, but that speed limits of 20 mph should be the norm and that higher limits should be exceptions only when there is evidence that such a higher limit will be without. danger for pedestrians and cyclists.
“This is recommended by the World Health Organization and was recently initiated by [the] government in the 2020 Stockholm Declaration signed by the UK and 129 other global road safety ministers.
While a final decision on the motion will only be made after a full council vote on July 9, next week’s meeting will see Cllr Dowling decide on the authority’s official response to it.
Although this decision should be left to Cllr Dowling, officers say the county council does not currently have the resources to introduce the authority-wide speed limit.
In a report to be considered at the meeting, a council spokesperson said: “There are over 1,000 kilometers of ‘residential’ roads in the county (made up of over 4,500 individual roads).
“While some roads would only require a traffic control by-law and speed limit signs to introduce a 20 mph speed limit, many roads would require additional engineering measures in order for average speeds to be appropriate for a 20 mph speed limit.
“The kinds of engineering controls required on these roads would make it very costly to introduce an authority-wide 20 mph default speed limit on all city and town roads in the county.
“The type and extent of engineering measures that might be needed could only be determined after a detailed process of investigation, design and consultation.
“While the cost of introducing an authority-wide 20 mph default speed limit is uncertain, based on the number of residential roads in the county, the total cost would be in the millions. of books. ”
The report goes on to say that the council would continue, should the motion fall, to consider individual requests for 20 mph speed limits if brought forward. These would be considered alongside other requests to improve local transportation for possible inclusion in the council’s investment program.
Officers say the council will also support the 20 mph limits which are funded externally or through its community twinning program and, where possible, will help local communities and parish councils implement such programs.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-15 14:44:09
