Cambridgeshire County Council has said it will cut the speed limit along Bates Drive after a fatal collision to try and improve safety
The speed limit along Bates Drove near Littleport will be cut to try and improve safety after a fatal crash. Cambridgeshire County Council has said it will be cutting the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph.
The decision was made following a number of incidents on the road, including a “tragic” fatal motorcycle collision that happened in June last year.
A report published by the county council said another “serious” motorcycle collision took place just eight days later, and that a further two incidents where people had been injured had been recorded along the road in recent years.
A multi-agency investigation was launched to assess the safety of the road following the incidents. The report said: “The investigation team undertook several site visits and conducted a thorough review of the traffic conditions. Their assessment concluded that the existing speed limit is inappropriate for the road’s structure and environment.
“Bates Drove is characteristic of Fenland infrastructure, it is undulating due to subsidence, narrow in places, and visually deceptive in terms of safety, particularly for powered two-wheeled vehicles.
“Additionally, sections of the nearby A1101 are straight and encourage higher speeds, further increasing the risk of serious collisions. Many surrounding Fen roads are already subject to a 50mph limit, reflecting the unique challenges posed by the terrain and road layout.
“Reducing the speed limit on Bates Drove would bring it in line with these roads and enhance safety for all road users, especially vulnerable groups.”
Concerns were raised by some about the plans to cut the speed limit along Bates Drove. Five objections were lodged during a statutory consultation on the proposals, with many making the argument that it would be better to repair the roads than to cut the speed limit.
One objector said: “The road surface is more of an issue than the speed limit. The new speed limit won’t be enforced and so won’t make a difference. The council is proposing speed limit changes purely as it’s cheaper than sorting the road.”
The county council report said road maintenance is “undertaken according to the authority’s asset management plan”. It added that cutting the speed limit would not be a substitute for ongoing maintenance, but would be a “proportionate and evidence-based measure to address specific risks identified by a multi-agency investigation”.
The plans were considered at a meeting this week (February 18) by Councillor Lorna Dupré, Councillor John Wells, and Richard Ling, the interim head of parking and traffic management.
They agreed that the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) should be made to cut the speed limit along Bates Drove from 60mph to 50mph. The decision notice said the members believed it would be “unlikely” that the national speed limit would be maintained if the route was resurfaced and maintained to a higher standard.
It also said that the “risk of harm” at 60mph was “still much higher” than at 50mph and that on these grounds alone a lower speed limit could be “justified”.
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