Safe Speed Forums

Anyone local will have probably noticed the front page of the Bucks Herald today, describing a plan to reduce the speed limits of all routes into Aylesbury. That's the A413 and A41. Apparently it's up for public consultation. Obviously I wish to register an objection and would encourage anyone else here to do the same.

The justification for this is that a lot of people like to visit at the weekend for a blat down the A413. They want to drop the limits to 50s and 40s to prevent this.

I can't find a damn thing about this on the Aylesbury council website or the Bucks county council website though. Does anyone know who I have to speak to or where I have to go in order to complain.

Also, does anyone have any statistics for the failure of Oxfordshire's campaign of reducing SC speed limits to 50 countywide?

Aylesbury seems to me (I have not lived here long) to be a dormitory town with most people commuting to Milton Keynes, Oxford or London, yet is has no sensible link to the motorway network other than the A41 southbound to the M25. If you want the M40 or M1 you're looking at 30-45 minutes cross country on single carriageway A roads.

They're also building an enormous new housing estate as part of this government starter homes campaign, attached to the side of the A413 -> Milton Keynes.

So basically they want to add 20 minutes onto everyone's morning commute, making everyone get up earlier and thus drive whilst more tired, in order to improve safety and deal with a few boy racers who are probably breaking the existing 60 limit anyway. A problem which should be a matter for the police.

IMO The correct solution is to dual carriageway all these roads. The town desperately needs it.

You can see the details of their proposals here:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/traffic_manag ... ations.htm

which includes a Public Consultation for the areas currently being looked at.

Thank you. You have just done a better job than Google did at finding all this.

It's a pity the information is presented in the least user friendly manner possible, so is going to take a while to work through. Good job I'm off ill at the moment and thus have time on my hands.

Spotted this as well. I'm in the process of writing to the paper.

There's a thread running in SP&L on Pistonheads as well.

Draft copy of my letter here - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topi ... &f=141&h=0

Need to reply to the consultation too!

Can anyone tell me where to get accident figures for SC roads in Oxfordshire, to judge the effect of their speed limit reduction programme?

I wouldn't bother with the details of who you are, as soon as you say 23 all the grumpy old sods will stop reading, if you make it sound like you're a grumpy old sod yourself you will keep their attention

I'm going to write my own letter I think. If you don't mind I'd like to post a draft here for criticism too.

Dear Sir,

It was with great dismay that I read your front page article about the planned speed limits on all the significant routes into Aylesbury.

I immediately checked the consultation documents on Bucks CCs website but was unable to find any information justifying this absurd decision. The only statistics I have been able to find are the little yellow signs on the A41 northbound that state, for example, "Slow down, 1 casuanties (sic) in 3 years on this bend" - hardly an example of a prime accident blackspot.

This is yet another example of the council trying to act like it's doing something whilst actually making things worse. I use all of these roads on a regular basis in my job as an on-site engineer and the majority of accidents and near misses that I see are caused by inattentive, tired, drivers or ill advised overtaking of farm vehicles that are travelling well below the proposed new speed limits.

Many people in Aylesbury commute to the nearby cities for work, this is out of necessity not choice. Reducing the speed limit will simply extend everybody's morning commute by 50% resulting in even more sleepy drivers on our roads as everybody's working day is extended by one hour. Accidents will increase as overtaking becomes more dangerous and people pay less attention whilst doing it.

This combined with the ongoing to scheme to build a large number of new homes on the A413 near to Watermead is ultimately going to lead to disaster. Very few of these new residents are going to work in Aylesbury as there are not enough jobs, they will just add to the existing congestion that happens every morning.

The correct solution to this mess is to upgrade the road infrastructure. It is ridiculous that a town the size of aylesbury has no sane link to the motorway network (M25 excepted). The A41 and A413 should be upgraded to 70mph dual carrageways at the earliest opportunity and certainly before anyone is able to move into the new homes being built.

Yours Sincerely

etc. etc.

Like it!

How about asking for evidence to support that a reduction in speed will reduce KSI rates?

Also ask has the council looked at the 85% rule.



Regards,

Phill

Since this one is to the paper not the council, and I have to keep it fairly short, there isn't really time to explain the 85% rule.

Better to drag up issues that all the readers can get riled about regardless of their stance on cameras. ie. taking longer to get to work and the ongoing moaning about the new housing estate.

Just viewed the above link. Are they really considering lowering the speed limits on all of those roads? There seems to be an awful lot roads on that list.

No doubt when they realise many motorists are breaking these new limits they will use it as an excuse to pepper the road sides with tallivan ambush points. All in the name of safety eh?