Speed limits - questions and answers

How do I go about getting a speed limit where I live because the speed of traffic is far too high?

There are a number of technical and practical issues to consider when investigating the possibility of imposing a speed limit. It is worth remembering that speed limit signs alone often don't slow traffic and there may be more practical measures that can be used instead.

An officer will be able to guide you through our policy criteria on speed limits and give you a broad indication if it may be worth further investigation; if so the officer will suggest that you to raise the issue with your local town or parish council in the first place to gauge their opinion.

If your local council supports the idea they will write to us formally asking for the proposal to be further investigated. We then add the request to a running programme which is prioritised each year in early spring.

What sort of speed limit can we have on our road?

Information on speed limits can be found by clicking the links to speed limits on the left hand side. A downloadable version of the full policy document is also available at the top right of this page.

How long will this all take?

Due to the large number of requests for speed limits we have to target our funds in order to prioritise those sites that have recorded casualties. At the moment the Department for Transport has tasked us with reviewing all our speed limits on our "A" and "B" class roads by 2011 and all resources have been channelled into this review. So unless you live on one of these classes of roads your request will probably be dealt with after 2011.

However the normal legal process to implement a speed limit, called a Traffic Regulation Order, usually takes between eight and 12 months. During that time there are statutory consultations with local councils, councillors, the police and the general public.

Once this process has started, is the speed limit sure to go ahead?

The purpose of the consultation process is to get opinions from interested parties and sometimes objections are received. If this is the case the proposal would go before councillors who would decide whether or not to proceed.

How much does a speed limit cost?

On average a village speed limit costs about £7,000 which breaks down roughly to £1,500 on legal and advertising costs and £5,500 on the signs/posts and implementation. This does not include officer time.

What sort of signage is required?

If the town or village has street lights then only signs marking the entrance will be required for a 30mph limit, we are prohibited from putting up additional signs within street lit areas for such a limit.

In rural areas together with entrance/exit signs regular signs or "repeaters" at given distances are required. In sensitive areas such as conservation areas or in areas of outstanding natural beauty special consideration will be given to the benefit of the limit as signage is visually intrusive.

What is the likelihood of getting a 20mph speed limit?

20mph limits are notoriously difficult to enforce so any proposal must demonstrate that speeds are already low or be backed with traffic calming and associated street lighting to get speeds down. So unless the proposal demonstrates these factors it is unlikely to be supported.