A4155 Shiplake speed limit
Discussion
Fed up at tootling along at 30mph through open countryside I penned an email of complaint to Oxon Council - and received the following reply:
As you can see. XXX XXXXXX forwarded me your email on 12 October but
unfortunately it got swamped in a host of other incoming emails and I only
picked it up when trawling through my inbox today, so apologies for the very
lengthy delay in replying to you on this.
I note your concerns about the 30mph limits on the A4155; I should explain
that this and many other 30mph limits in South Oxfordshire were introduced
in 1999 as the first part of a village speed limit project which has since
been extended throughout Oxfordshire. The aim of the project was to provide
the rural communities the speed limits they considered appropriate taking
account of local residents use of the roads (as pedestrians, cyclists, and
drivers) as well 'through' traffic. In South Oxfordshire, due to a
combination of reasons the communities frequently requested - and obtained -
extensive limits which fell considerably outside the 'norms' for 30mph
limits. I have to say that the proposed extent of these limits frequently
caused concern among the safety engineering team precisely for the reasons
you state (i.e. poor driver behaviour due to possible frustration etc) and
as a result we have been closely monitoring the number of accidents on these
roads.
What will I'm sure come as a surprise to you (as much as it was to us) is
that the safety performance of the limits - even (and perhaps especially)
those which are particularly outside the norm - has been extremely good;
overall the number of reported injury accidents on these roads has reduced
by around 40%, and to date there is no sign that their benefits are
diminishing with time. Because of the unexpected results, we have been
particularly keen to check their validity - for example comparing them with
'control' areas to see if other factors were also affecting casualty
numbers, or if there had been any increase in accidents in the previously
existing 30mph limit areas due to drivers losing respect for the limits -
but this does not appear to be the case. To take the specific example of the
A4155 at Shiplake you mention, in the 5-year period prior to the
introduction of the 30mph limit, there were on average 9 report injury
accidents per year, which dropped to an average of 2.5 per year following
the 30 limit .
We are nevertheless reviewing policy on speed limits, and in particular
looking at the case for increasing certain of the limits, subject to the
necessary wide ranging consultations.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further queries on
this matter, and once again apologies for the delay in replying.
As you can see. XXX XXXXXX forwarded me your email on 12 October but
unfortunately it got swamped in a host of other incoming emails and I only
picked it up when trawling through my inbox today, so apologies for the very
lengthy delay in replying to you on this.
I note your concerns about the 30mph limits on the A4155; I should explain
that this and many other 30mph limits in South Oxfordshire were introduced
in 1999 as the first part of a village speed limit project which has since
been extended throughout Oxfordshire. The aim of the project was to provide
the rural communities the speed limits they considered appropriate taking
account of local residents use of the roads (as pedestrians, cyclists, and
drivers) as well 'through' traffic. In South Oxfordshire, due to a
combination of reasons the communities frequently requested - and obtained -
extensive limits which fell considerably outside the 'norms' for 30mph
limits. I have to say that the proposed extent of these limits frequently
caused concern among the safety engineering team precisely for the reasons
you state (i.e. poor driver behaviour due to possible frustration etc) and
as a result we have been closely monitoring the number of accidents on these
roads.
What will I'm sure come as a surprise to you (as much as it was to us) is
that the safety performance of the limits - even (and perhaps especially)
those which are particularly outside the norm - has been extremely good;
overall the number of reported injury accidents on these roads has reduced
by around 40%, and to date there is no sign that their benefits are
diminishing with time. Because of the unexpected results, we have been
particularly keen to check their validity - for example comparing them with
'control' areas to see if other factors were also affecting casualty
numbers, or if there had been any increase in accidents in the previously
existing 30mph limit areas due to drivers losing respect for the limits -
but this does not appear to be the case. To take the specific example of the
A4155 at Shiplake you mention, in the 5-year period prior to the
introduction of the 30mph limit, there were on average 9 report injury
accidents per year, which dropped to an average of 2.5 per year following
the 30 limit .
We are nevertheless reviewing policy on speed limits, and in particular
looking at the case for increasing certain of the limits, subject to the
necessary wide ranging consultations.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further queries on
this matter, and once again apologies for the delay in replying.
Bravo, a well penned response from Oxon council. I, too know the road well and have always wondered why the 30 limit runs through open fields etc. but if it cuts down on the number of accidents then fair enough. Personally i always creep through there as it just screams 'BiB trap' opportunity.
Interestingly, do you see how regularly cars career off the road in the 50 limit between Shiplake and Sonning on the way toward Reading? There are some road surface issues in the wet that can make it very slippery but mainly it appears to be excess speed and people o/taking perhaps after the frustration of the long 30 limit?
Anyway thanks for posting that up - interesting reading.
Interestingly, do you see how regularly cars career off the road in the 50 limit between Shiplake and Sonning on the way toward Reading? There are some road surface issues in the wet that can make it very slippery but mainly it appears to be excess speed and people o/taking perhaps after the frustration of the long 30 limit?
Anyway thanks for posting that up - interesting reading.
larrylamb11 said:
Interestingly, do you see how regularly cars career off the road in the 50 limit between Shiplake and Sonning on the way toward Reading? .
Then these drivers should be penalised HARSHLY for having poor anticipation / driving skills laving the rest of us to get on with it.
Problem solved - roads stay at a safe speed and numptys are removed.
Its unfair to ruin it for the rest of us because some
king morons dont wish to care about their driving...
)They say "9 report injury accidents" reduced to 2.5. It would be interesting to know the figures for the total number of accidents. You'd expect to see a reduction in injuries even if the total of crashes stayed the same, because people would be crashing more slowly so less hard - the crash energies would be sufficiently low that the crumple zones would absorb most of it. If there isn't a significant reduction in the total number of crashes, it suggests that there are other more fundamental problems to be tackled.
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