'Warm banks' for Acocks Green
Liberal Democrat Councillor working for Acocks Green Learn more
by Roger Harmer on 9 December, 2010
The City Council are proposing to cut the speed limit along the Fox Hollies Road. Currently the limit is 40mph from the junction with Olton Boulevard, south to where it meets the Stratford Road in Hall Green. The proposal is to reduce this to 30mph.
The proposal follows a study of accidents including their severity, causes and frequency together with surveys of traffic speeds to make an overall assessment of whether existing speed limits are appropriate for main roads. This has been done across Birmingham and the Fox Hollies Road came out as one that should have its limit reduced to 30mph.
I’d be very interested to hear your views on this proposal. My initial thoughts are that it is a good idea, though I have concerns that simply reducing the speed limit may not have much impact on speeds on such a long straight section of dual carriageway. What do you think? The consultation period runs for the rest of the month so it would be good to hear any views, either for or against the cut in the speed limit, by Christmas.
4 Comments
The speed limit there is a little idiosyncratic – the Stratford Road, which is a more significant road and also a dual carriageway – is 30mph out to beyond the Solihull boundary. Given that the Fox Hollies Road runs close to a large school, dropping the limit seems sensible. Attention probably also needs to be drawn to the design of the road to encourage slower driving.
It would be interesting to see the actual study. The problem is that a small number of drivers will still drive too fast whatever the limit, and other “reasonable” drivers could become a bit frustrated at a lower limit and a frustrated driver can be a careless one.
I would be inclinned to leave it as it is, but if 30 is imposed then it would need to be enforced, by, say speed cameras but then that would doubtless annoy some !!
I have formally responded in favour of the reduction to 30mph. However I have added the comment that unless there are other measures to reduce car speeds its not, in practice, likely to make much difference. I also suggested that if this cannot be done effectively, it might be better to just reduce the speed of the section from York Road to Olton Boulevard to 30mph as this would mark this area (with its proximity to Ninestiles Technology College and the Children’s Centre) as particularly sensitive.
We live in Hall Green, where we didn’t get any notice of the “consultation” over this proposed speed limit change from 40mph to 30mph on Fox Hollies; nor the now-apparent changes on the other side of Stratford Rd, in Highfield Rd. I hear similarly misguided limit reductions have also been imposed further East around the Outer Ring Road, into Stockfield Road. It seems these changes were already decided, before any “consultation”; as (i) they were implemented without all the locals being advised about the “consultation”, and (ii) they were implemented just days after the expiry of the said “consultation”. There was patently no time for proper appraisal of any comments.
Let’s face it: this is A4040, a major traffic artery: the Second City Outer Ring Road, originally envisaged to completely encircle Birmingham in dual carriageway. In reality, the main problem with most of these dual carriageways is their piecemeal use as adhoc car parks , especially near schools and shops. This causes drivers to “hog” the right lane, for fear of being blocked into the left, when they approach the next parked vehicles. The current fad for lower speed limits becomes counter-productive when those limits are patently ridiculous for wide-open straight roads with good visibility. The limits need to be sensibly related to the width of the road if they are ever going to be respected; or frustrated drivers will continue to drive badly!
Alternatively, if we cannot avoid having 30mph everywhere, then we should make all these roads totally single-lane, with intermittent parking places. Then the impatient drivers who, somewhat justifiably, expect to be able to do 40mph on the current wide, open roads, would no longer be tempted to intimidate the driver-in-front into pulling over to let them through. In my long and perceptive driving experience, the most common cause of road rage incidents is a squabble for position on the road. To minimise this, we can either have clearways to allow better flow; or reduce possible squabble opportunities, by making almost everywhere single-file.
As an example of this latter suggestion having the desired effect; consider the Red Route bus-lanes system.
When all drivers have to use one lane, except at junctions etc.; then there is much less jostling for position, as it seems everyone follows a single-file queue more patiently. I know I do too.
I did get a chance to comment on the extraordinarily expensive reworking of the junction at the Stratford Road/ School Road traffic lights. I suggested a very much cheaper scheme; which would have meant no road-widening, and repositiong of major water and other under-highway services. As Stratford Road traffic was already single-file both sides of the lights; it should be obvious that opening a second “straight-on” lane would not solve the problem of competition for position on the road. My suggestion was completely ignored (and not even acknowledged); so huge pots of tax-payers money was spent on the scheme which seemingly was already agreed with contractors; and afterwards drivers still squabble dangerously over the roadspace. Also, pedestrians have even wider roads to cross: so they could potentially be in greater danger!
Result: absolutely humongous cost to taxpayers, for no discernible improvement. When will they ever learn?