Agenda item

Context:

Members will be aware of petitions occasionally presented to the authority calling for lower speed limits at various routes throughout the county. The wider issues of community concerns about speed limits and speeding generally have also regularly been raised by members of the public, local councils and MCC councillors.

Monmouthshire currently uses the Setting Local Speed Limit guidance to assess speed limits throughout the county along with other national guidance to determine appropriate schemes and measures to address or seek to improve road safety throughout the county. Such schemes are prioritised and are either considered as part of a bid to Welsh Government or added to the Road Safety Strategy forward programme. In some circumstances, and where the costs are relatively low, schemes are delivered using the road safety revenue budget.

Key Issues:

The provision of appropriate speed limits on the highway network has a major bearing on road safety as well as the free flow and efficient movement of traffic throughout the county. Speed limits are assessed based upon national guidance and with speed featuring as a key concern of the local community throughout Monmouthshire it is important that proper consideration is given to how the guidance is applied to the local highway network and that any future changes to limits strikes an appropriate balance between those wishes of the local community with that of the wider travelling public and businesses with an overriding emphasis on improving or maintaining road safety.

The Task & Finish Group may wish to consider the following documents and guidelines when developing a Speed Management Policy for Monmouthshire:

i. National Road Safety Policy: Welsh Government’s “Road Safety Delivery

Programme; Department for Transport “Tomorrow’s Roads, Safer for everyone” and associated performance indicators and targets.

ii. Monmouthshire CC Policy – Road Safety Strategy, Local Development Plan and

Regional Transport Plan

iii. Guidance: Welsh Government “Setting Local Speed Limit”; Department for

Transport “New Manual for Streets” and various Transport Notes on subjects such as 20MPH Zones, Traffic Calming Guidance

iv.Monmouthshire CC’s Community Strategy

In addition to the above, any future policy will need to seek the views of Gwent Police and other bodies such as the South Wales Trunk Road Authority (SWTRA) and neighbouring authorities. Furthermore, it is important that other factors in addition to speed limits are considered when developing a Speed Management Policy since influences such as Road Safety Education and Training also have a major part to play in delivering such a strategy.

The committee (possibly through a Task and Finish Group) may wish to make recommendations on the latitude and flexibility of how such a policy should be applied as well as to make suggestions on further consultation which may be beneficial before presenting to the Cabinet Member for approval and adoption as Monmouthshire Speed Management Policy.

Member Scrutiny:

After hearing from our partners at Go Safe that Monmouthshire registers the most complaints out of the 5 authorities they cover, it was asked why? We were told by Go Safe that Monmouthshire appears to be the most proactive county, with 11 community speed watch groups set up.

Members stressed the importance of setting up the Task and Finish working group which includes various partners in a formalised meeting occurring on a six weekly basis.

Members expressed their concerns over the average speed and stressed it is the minority they have concerns about.

Members asked for a seminar for all County Councillors on this issue. The Head of Operations will look at dates for this.