Councillors to debate petition for 30mph speed limit on Whitby New Bridge
The petition will be debated on Friday
A petition calling for a 30mph speed limit on Whitby’s New Bridge will be debated by councillors this week.
More than 500 residents have signed a petition calling for a speed limit reduction on New Bridge in Whitby over concerns about the safety of students and families who walk across it to reach Whitby School.
The issue was raised in Parliament earlier this year by the MP for Scarborough and Whitby Alison Hume.
The Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee’s next meeting on Friday, November 28, is set to debate the proposal.
“New Bridge in Whitby currently has a 40mph speed limit from the traffic lights at Prospect Hill to the end of the bridge,” the petition states.
It adds: “The entrance to Whitby School (Airy Hill site) for Year 7 and 8 is situated on this section of road. We are concerned about the safety of students and families who have to walk along the bridge to access their school and the Eastside.
The petition’s organiser is Elizabeth Mulheran, a member of Whitby Town Council for the West Cliff division.
NYC’s highways and transportation officer has already commented on the petition, stating that the local area manager “has committed to carrying out a new speed survey once the traffic signals at Spital Bridge are operational”.
The officer added: “The findings from this survey will inform a review of the posted speed limit over New Bridge as part of the countywide assessment.
“The signals are expected to be functioning by early December, which means the speed survey could take place in the New Year. The subsequent speed limit assessment is likely to follow shortly thereafter.”
Ms Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has called on the Government to give parish councils the power to introduce local speed limits.
Speaking in the House of Commons in June, Ms Hume said: “There is a busy bridge on the A171 in my constituency, which is used by pupils in years 7 and 8 based at the Airy Hill site of Whitby School, as well as the parents and pupils who attend Airy Hill primary school and tourists photographing the steam trains that can be seen below.
“It is a very noisy and windy bridge with heavy road and foot traffic, and it is high above the estuary. Despite that, there are no zebra crossings or raised kerbs, and the speed limit is 40mph.”
The MP added: “Understandably, local residents are really worried. They have tried to lower the speed limit to 30mph, but North Yorkshire council is not interested, so they have raised a petition themselves.”
Earlier this year, North Yorkshire Council approved proposals to lower speed restrictions on 190 roads in Harrogate from 30mph to 20mph.