by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Lower speed limits for Dorchester are unlikely to be achieved this year.
The town council has agreed to spend a thousand pounds on traffic speed counts for four roads in preparation for the possibility of more 20mph limits.
It has held two meetings on the subject – but has not come up with a decision on where the lower limits should be – either in particular areas or roads, or to have a wider 20mph limit across most of the town.
Some councillors have questioned why the town council is spending time and money on the subject when safety on town roads are a Dorset Council function.
There is also likely to be a call to set up more Speedwatch groups to add to the data with volunteers previously active on Herringston Road.
Two Poundbury roads are to be included in the traffic monitoring exercise, Peverell Avenue East and West; with the other speed counts planned for London Road and Herrington Road at a total cost to the town council of £895 plus VAT.
A town council planning and environment committee meeting heard that ample data and public backing was likely to be the key components on whether or not the lower limits were granted, along with overcoming some technical issues.
Cllr Sue Biles, who has led two task and finish groups, said public backing in the form of Speedwatch activity and public calls for lower limits were likely to be important in persuading Dorset Council to adopt any new lower limits. She said methods of consulting with the public, through events in the summer and the town council newsletter, could be tools to discover how much backing there was for the idea of lower limits. Most statistics prove that 20mph limits do cut down on accidents and collisions although many which were introduced in Wales were reversed after widespread complaints from drivers.
One of the most vocal areas calling for a lower limit in Dorchester has been Lubbecke Way, the road to the town’s tip, which is dotted with residential homes for older people and also has young families with children frequently crossing the road to get to the Kings Road park, or to feed the ducks on the river.
Other obstacles in the way of lower speed limits, Dorchester town councillors were told, was whether or not drivers would actually lower their speeds without the need for traffic calming measures which add greatly to the cost. The meeting was told that if average speeds were greater than 24mph, without a lower limit, it was less likely to road would be suitable for a 20mph limit.
“At the moment all we are doing is collecting data. We need that before we put in any proposals… nothing is cut and dried at the moment and we are still discussing it” said Cllr Biles at the Monday evening meeting in the Corn Exchange. She said that previous figures, collected three or four years ago, were now considered out of date which was why the new counts were needed.
Committee chairman Ralph Ricardo said he would be against a blanket 20mph limit for the town and preferred a zone by zone approach although Cllr Richard Biggs said limits which varied between 20mph and 30mph within an area could add to confusion for drivers.
Cllr Rory Major said he favoured collecting as much data as needed and accessing Dorset Council data which already existed, if that was possible. He said in the past residents had complained about speeding, especially in London Road, but the figures proved there was not a big problem there.
