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www.stokegiffordjournal.co.uk
t: 01454 300 400
February 2019
News
Petition launched to increase Stoke Gifford By-Pass speed limit Mobile police speed cameras trap over 300 motorists exceeding speed limit in less than four months
I
t’s a wide stretch of road with good visibility, sweeping across open countryside for half-a-mile from its junction with Hambrook Lane to the A4174 Ring Road, yet it has a speed limit that is lower than the main road through densely populated parts of nearby Bradley Stoke. Travelling south from Parkway North Roundabout (near Nuffield Health), the Stoke Gifford Transport Link (SGTL, now officially named Rosedown Avenue, but more commonly known as the ‘by-pass’) initially has a 40mph speed limit before changing to 30mph shortly before the traffic light-controlled junction with Hambrook Lane. Between Hambrook Lane and the Oxleigh Way traffic lights (entrance to Highbrook Park) the road has the appearance of one which might be expected to have a higher speed limit of at least 40mph, save for the presence of street lighting columns, and it seems that many motorists are choosing to drive at or above this speed. Anyone who attempts to stick to 30mph risks being tailgated or subject to dangerous passing manoeuvres, as witnessed by one driver writing in the newsletter of
the Bristol Advanced Motorists group: “Driving at 30mph, I had flashing headlights behind, then a car overtook me on the right, as another overtook in the bus lane on the left!” However, anyone taking a chance by exceeding the speed limit risks being snared by a police mobile speed camera van, which has been paying visits to the site since September 2018. A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed that 307 notices of intended prosecution have been issued for speeding offences on this stretch of the road in the last four months. Of those threatened with prosecution, 182 have been offered the alternative of attending an education courses. When the Journal raised the issue with South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) in September 2018, we were told that the speed limit had been set in consultation with road safety professionals, taking into account the likelihood that housing will eventually be built adjacent to the road. One frequent user of the road, Alex Hosking, feels so strongly about the issue that he has launched a petition on the SGC website, titled: ‘Raise the
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Start of the 30mph limit, just before the Hambrook Lane crossing (going south)
Reader comments from the Stoke Gifford Journal website AD: “I’m absolutely gob smacked! Just received a speeding summons (doing just under 40)! Never realized that such a road was restricted to 30. It’s ludicrous!” Hayley: “I have recently received a speeding fine and points on my licence as I was doing just over 40 in the 30 zone. I honestly believed it was 40 on this entire road. Went down the road today (from Ring Road heading towards Bradley Stoke) and could only see one 30 sign.” Sophie: “I was very upset to have received a fine and three points on my licence for going at 44mph on this road. The road is not in a residential area and did not appear to be a road where a 30mph limit is needed for any particular reason.”
speed limit on the Stoke Gifford By-Pass’. In his foreword to the petition, he writes: “The bypass appears to have a speed limit that quite drastically does not match the engineering standard of the road. DfT guidelines state that ‘Speed limits should be evidenceled and self-explaining and seek to reinforce people’s assessment of what is a safe speed to travel. They should encourage self-compliance. Speed limits should be seen by drivers as the maximum rather than a target speed.’ These guidelines do not seem to have been followed on this road and it’s more characteristic of a road you might otherwise expect to have a speed limit of 50mph.” Speaking to the Journal, he added: “It almost seems like the council are trying to set speed limits that won’t be taken seriously. By setting it really low, you don’t punish people who really put their foot down. On the contrary, you just make it more difficult for the police to concentrate on them as they are forced to pursue people driving at
much more sensible speeds.” The online petition can be found at petitions.southglos.gov. uk/petitions.ti/bypasslimit In the light of the high number of speeding tickets being dispensed and the launch of the petition, we invited SGC to provide a further comment. A council spokesperson said: “A review of the reported SGTL. No injuries have been reported as taking place on the road since it opened in late 2017. As the safety record of the SGTL is currently good, and bearing in mind that the character of the road will change when new junctions associated with approved development are constructed, the council has no plans to review the current speed limits. “National regulations do not permit the installation of more permanent signage for the 30mph speed limit, since the road is lit by a system of street lighting. However, a vehicle activated speed reminder sign will be positioned on the road periodically to remind road users of the 30mph speed limit.”
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