More than 3,000 vehicles a day are ignoring a 30mph speed restriction through a village in North East Lincolnshire.
The revelation comes as a senior councillor received an update on investigations into possible new road safety measures for Barnoldby-le-Beck.
The investigation began in October after more than 100 people petitioned for a speed limit change on Waltham Road between the village and Waltham, and for other safety measures to be considered.
Residents reported at the time that there was ‘atrocious’ speeding through the village during the day and at night, which was putting people off visiting. The investigation by council officers has ruled out some options but is still considering several, including a speed limit change.
North East Lincolnshire Council portfolio holder for housing, infrastructure and transport, Cllr Stewart Swinburn, received a report update on the investigation. 2023/24 traffic data compiled from three sites has found “poor” compliance by drivers with the 30mph speed limit either side of Barnoldby-le-Beck’s village centre. Based on Department for Transport data, just under 6,500 vehicles drive through the village each day.
Over half of the vehicles—more than 3,000—are travelling “above the normal prosecution limit for the police once they enter the village boundary and the 30mph speed limit”. The speeding was worst at the monitor west of the village gateway, where vehicles averaged 36.3mph in the 30mph zone. Compliance within the 60mph section between Waltham and Barnoldby was found to be good.
Police-provided data showed one recorded slight collision within Barnoldby village in the last five years, which resulted in two injuries. Road safety engineers have conducted preliminary investigations and recommended several options to continue exploring. These include:
- A reduction in the 60mph speed limit between the Waltham and Barnoldby village area.
- Electronic driver feedback signs to “encourage lower approach speeds to the village”.
- A review of existing safety camera enforcement in Barnoldby.
- Refreshed road markings and efforts to “declutter road signs” to reinforce the prominence of speed limit signs.
“The actual report goes into quite a lot of depth,” stated Cllr Swinburn at the meeting, noting it followed on from the residents’ petition. The report he received also confirmed options that have been ruled out. These include physical measures to reduce speeding, like speed bumps and rumble strips.
The rumble strips were viewed as effective in encouraging lower speeds but were ruled out as they would be “likely to cause annoyance and a poorer quality of life for residents in the immediate vicinity” due to the noise and vibrations created. Physical speed reduction measures were also deemed unsuitable as they required street lighting, which the road does not have. It would be “prohibitively expensive” to install such lighting compared to other options.
Cllr Swinburn noted the progress made so far in investigating options. He will receive another update at a public meeting once these investigations have been completed. He also added that since the report’s publication, “We’ve had further information from the petitioner over the weekend, which we’ve now passed on to the relevant officers to inform the programme of investigative work.”
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