Some of you may be aware that the Parish Council has been pursuing the possibilty of reducing the traffic speed limit through the village to 20 mph for some time. Derbyshire County Council have finally responded to the council. Unfortunately they have refused to reduce the speed limit to 20 mph but will install additional 30 mph repeater signs.
The Parish Council will have the opportunity to consider responding to this letter at the next Council meeting on the 21st of November. I’m sure the council would welcome any comments either here via the blog or directly to members of the council or Andrew Martin the clerk clerk@parwichparishcouncil.org.uk
To read the full response from the County Council
Good afternoon Mr Martin
I am writing in response to your recent enquiry concerning general traffic and safety issues in Parwich village. Please accept my apologies for the delay of my response.
I note your previous and ongoing concerns towards traffic speeds in Parwich. In determining the appropriate speed limit for a particular settlement or stretch of road, we make reference to the Department for Transport’s guidelines on such matters, Circular 01/2013 “Setting Local Speed Limits”.
The document offers advice, requirements, criteria and appraisal tools which enable highways authorities to ascertain whether an existing or proposed speed limit is appropriate for a particular situation. The circular distinguishes between urban and rural locations and also states a list of key factors which should be taken into account during the review process. These include the history of collisions; the geometry / layout of the road(s) in question; the road’s strategic function; and the composition of users of the road.
A section of the circular is devoted to rural speed management; a further sub-section gives specific advice on speed limits in rural villages.
Para. 131 of the Circular states that “It is… government policy that a 30mph speed limit should be the norm through villages”. In very exceptional circumstances a lower 20mph limit can be considered, however these should only generally be reserved for roads with little strategic function or where the movement of motor vehicles is not the primary function.
I am therefore satisfied that the existing 30mph speed limit through the village remains fit for purpose. Any ongoing concerns towards the level of transgression of this speed limit should be directed towards the local (Ashbourne) Neighbourhood Police Team.
You may be aware that where a street-lit road is subject to a speed limit of 30mph, it is not normally permitted to install 30mph repeater-style signing. The precise requirement in law is set out in Schedule 10 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 which states that speed limit signs “must not be placed as a repeater sign where the road is subject to a maximum speed limit of 30mph and has a system of carriageway lighting”. Further to this, in its glossary of terms, “system of carriageway lighting” is described as “the presence on a road of at least three lamps, lit by electricity, provided for the purposes of illuminating the road, and placed no more than 183 metres apart”.
Whilst Parwich village is largely street-lit, the spacing between three consecutive lamps in many parts of the village exceeds 183 metres, thus they do not meet the legal definition of a system of carriageway lighting. This therefore puts me in an unusual position where I can install a number of repeater signs on some roads away from the very centre of the village, including on Main Street and Creamery Lane. This action should assist in reminding drivers of the limit in place in the village and consequently result in their driving with greater care through the village.
I shall therefore place a works order shortly to install a number of signs in appropriate, sensitive locations.
Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention.
Kind regards
Traffic and Road Safety Service
Economy, Transport and Environment | Derbyshire County Council
County Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AG
I don’t want to be insensitive, but do we really need more signs? I can’t say I’ve noticed anyone screaming up creamery lane.
If people don’t take any notice of the signs that are already there, what is the point of adding more street junk.
I agree, and 30 mph signs might paradoxically encourage people to go up to 30, when they might go slower in the absence of signs.
I’m very disappointed they won’t reduce it to 20 mph though, there are lots of “20 is plenty” zones in cities in residential areas, even where there are pavements umlike here.
The problem is not people braking the speed limit, rather people driving too fast for the road conditions. For most of the village 30mph is unachievablely fast, but further in many places 20mph is also too fast for safety. The County Council seems to have missed the entire point.
The village largely has a road system of narrow lanes without pavements. It was designed for pedestrains, live stock and the occassional vehicle going no faster than walking pace. Also traffic engineering solutions are inconsistent with the village’s fundamental character. Further as already mentioned, such engineering solutions often have the perverse effect of speeding up traffic and encouraging drivers to assume they have priority.
The best solution is to create a shared space where motor vehicles give way to pedestrians. To achieve this once in the village all road signs and street markings would be removed. Drivers would then automatically slow down, acting on observed conditions not perceived rights. The only signs would be at the entrances to the village warning vehicles they are entering a space where pedestrians have priority.
In the past the Peak Park have informally said they would support trial projects. This works well in the Dutch cities that have tried it, but it is very difficult to convince traffic engineers that their technical solutions are self defeating.
I live on approach road to the actual vilage of parwich and have difficulty exitting my property i really go ou at night thereare no street lights and no pavements threeof the properties on here have residents aver 70 the cars and farm vehicles donot slow downi n day light even if they seeyou trying to get in or out your drives im afraid we have developed a n area of bad drivers all in a hurry