Chester Rd comment on Setting Local Speed Limits in Wales

Email to Dave Faulkner Head of Highways, Flintshire County Council
cc. Chief Constable Mark Polin, plus the great and the good.

The Prologue

Chester Rd Penyffordd is an ex trunk road now superceded by a bypass. It is a major route to school with a speed limit of 30 mph. The road is currently unpoliced by North Wales Police or the All Wales safety Partnership.
Shift workers hammer through the village at 5.30 am each shift work day. There is a considerable rat run with much out of village traffic between 8 and 9 am. Shift workers hammer through the village at shift end at lunch time and evening.

There is speeding every minute or two, although the credit crunch has helped with volume.

Flintshire County Council and the All Wales Safety Partnership are currently hiding traffic data that shows the above.

HGV traffic is currently allowed through the village despite a bypass being built for through traffic.

The A55 Warren Bank Exit construction will be bad for Chester Rd Penyffordd

Rossett village centre is the perfect example of how a village road succeeded by a bypass should be. I am of the opinion that Derek Kirby, Head of Highway Strategy, Flintshire County Council has differing plans for Chester Rd Penyffordd.


My points as a village resident in red. I have environment and safety upmost in my mind.

Key points from Document :

 Speed limits should be evidence led, self-explaining, and seek to reinforce people’s
assessment of what is a safe speed to travel.
There is a group of drivers whose assessment of safe speed is modelled on people who appear on Top Gear. As fast as the road will take. I mention shiftworkers without naming our largest employer.

 Speed limits should encourage self-compliance and not be seen by drivers as being a
target speed at which to drive in all circumstances.
ditto previous point

 Highway authorities set ‘local speed limits’ in situations where local needs and
considerations deem it desirable for drivers to adopt a speed which is different from the
national speed limit. Local speed limits could be lower or higher depending upon the
conditions and evidence.

3.12 Mean speeds should be used as the basis for determining local speed limits as these
refl ect what the majority of drivers perceive as an appropriate speed for the road. The aim
should be for the mean speed driven on the road to be at or below the posted speed limit.
Consequently, it may be necessary to consider additional measures to infl uence the speed
distribution.
Why disguise speeding levels from communities?

 This guidance is to be used for setting all local speed limits on trunk and county roads,
(excluding motorways) whether single or dual carriageways in both urban and rural areas.
 This guidance should also be used as the basis for future assessments of local speed
limits, for developing route management strategies, and for developing speed
management strategies dovetailing with Regional Transport Plans.
 Highway authorities are asked to review the speed limits on all of their A and B roads,
and implement any necessary changes, by 31st December 2014 in accordance with
this guidance.

1.9 Section 268 of the Transport Act 2000 enables a local highway authority to designate
any of the roads for which it has direct responsibility as a Quiet Lane or Home Zone and
introduces the concept of use orders and speed orders for these roads. As speed orders
do not impose speed limits, but rather specify speeds below which measures can be
introduced to constrain traffi c, they are not dealt with explicitly within these guidelines.
Can Chester Rd be designated as a Home Zone? We have a bypass.

improved quality of life for local communities and a better balance between road safety,
accessibility, and environmental objectives, especially in rural communities;
This should be the aim of FCC f0r Chester Rd which is currently a race track at certain times of the day.

3.7 As well as being a key indicator of whether a local speed limit is appropriate, the estimated
collision and injury savings should also be an important factor when considering changes
to a local speed limit.
Problem, we have lots of speeding but no accidents yet just near misses.

3.12 Mean speeds should be used as the basis for determining local speed limits as these
refl ect what the majority of drivers perceive as an appropriate speed for the road. The aim
should be for the mean speed driven on the road to be at or below the posted speed limit.
Consequently, it may be necessary to consider additional measures to infl uence the speed
distribution.
Problem. As an ex trunk road, Chester Rd is wide open which gives the perception of a safe high speed road. Noise levels are considerable due traffic speed.

20mph Speed Limits and Zones
5.6 Highway authorities may implement 20mph speed limits and zones where appropriate,
particularly in residential areas, and this is encouraged and supported by the Welsh
Assembly Government
So, How about Chester Rd or does it interfere with Derk Kirby's plans? ( Head of Highways Strategy)

Rural Towns, Villages and Other Residential Communities
6.11 Fear of traffi c can affect people’s quality of life within communities and the speed limit in
rural towns and villages should be similar to those applying to urban areas, i.e. generally
30mph with 20mph speed limits or zones where appropriate. However, the speed limits in
rural communities should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Chester Rd should qualify on grounds of ruined village environment and safety.
Over a 1000 speeders a day.
( Where is Carl Longland Director of Environment? )

85th Percentile Speeds
(also see Mean Speeds)
If the speeds of all motorists are ranked from slowest to fastest,
the "85th percentile speed" separates the slower 85% from the
fastest 15%
Why should the 15% fastest be exclude from data ranked? This is no more than massaging the data to look better than the situation really is. As in the use of statistics by agencies to fool council committee members.

Mean Speeds
(also see 85th percentile
speeds)
Also hides the true picture

Generally used in town centres, residential areas and in the
vicinity of schools where there is a high presence of vulnerable
road users.
Chester Rd.

One hopes the agencies mentioned will alter their "modus operandii". Communities want proper action from the agencies mentioned above. We pay your wages remember.