Guidelines for 20mph zones 'too strict' say Dorset councillors
A 20mph zone's been requested for Weymouth
Change is needed for the way community 20mph zones in Dorset are dealt with, councillors have been told.
Several say the Government guidelines are too strict and wrongly based on accident figures rather than making a positive contribution to where people live.
Cllr Roland Tarr says the current thinking needs to be reversed, especially with Coronavirus, and ways need to be found to slow traffic down and persuade cyclists and pedestrian to make more use of the roads.
Councillors at a meeting on Thursday heard there was widespread frustration with the 20mph zone application process with many communities wanting the lower speed limits – only to be told they did not meet the guidelines.
Weymouth has become the latest community to ask for a blanket 20mph zone for the town – but will be hard-pressed to achieve it, not least because Dorset Council has no specific budget to develop the areas.
Weymouth councillor Ryan Hope told the meeting that there was a lot of confusion around what might make a successful request and he complained that when applications were turned down there was little feedback about the reasons why, which made it almost impossible to appeal.
Dorset currently has thirty 20mph zones, the first made in Gillingham during 1995, with the latest to be agreed to come into force at Durweston in January.
Cllr Sherry Jespersen said that while she realised the county was stuck with Government guidelines it might be able to do more to add its own weighting to some aspects of applications.
“There is a great deal of discontent and discombobulation in the community …we should pass it back to the highways board to have a more thorough look at the principles,” she said.
“There is no weighting given to the quality of life. The weighting is only given to accidents that cause injury…there is not sufficient weight given to the way people live their lives involving cycling and walking, there’s a whole discussion which has to be had,” she said.
Dorchester councillor Les Fry said the guidelines did allow for other aspects to be considered, other than accidents. He said this included the composition of local road users, including those who were vulnerable, and the type of use on local roads.
But he also warned that any new zones would need traffic calming to physically slow traffic because the police were unable to enforce the limits and much of the research showed that it was local people who were speeding in their own area.
Cabinet member Cllr Peter Wharf said more work was needed to explain to towns and parishes what they had to do to qualify for a 20mph zone. “Quite a lot of them don’t quite understand what is involved…and where we might have a bit of wriggle room,” he said.