More villages in York to get lower speed limit - council

More villages in York to get lower speed limit - council
Source: BBC

Speed limits of 20mph (32 km/h) are to be rolled out to more villages in York after a trial scheme in part of the city.

A traffic regulation order was put in place in Bishopthorpe last year to lower speed limits across the village, and councillors decided on Tuesday to make that permanent, though with some alterations.

Michael Nicholls, Bishopthorpe ward councillor, told a meeting he backed keeping the 20mph limits, as well as looking at traffic calming measures and putting in staggered speed change buffers to allow vehicles to slow down.

The meeting heard the council was now set to look at a trial in Dunnington where residents had also called for lower speed limits.

Requests had also been lodged for 20mph limits in Askham Richard, Copmanthorpe and Poppleton, councillors were told.

Councillor Kate Ravilious, the authority's transport spokesperson, told the meeting that more still needed to be done to cut speeds on approaches to Bishopthorpe, with one driver having been recorded doing a top speed of almost 100mph (161 km/h).

The authority was aware of a strong desire to lower speed limits among residents in other villages and those requests were being worked through, Ravilious said.

A total of 42 people had told the council they supported the changes in Bishopthorpe, saying they felt they had made the village safer for pedestrians and cyclists, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

One said their four-year-old child had been hit by a car in the village, but they were unhurt because the vehicle was travelling at a reduced speed.

Objections to the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order 20mph limits numbered 35, with some saying there was not an issue with speeding in the village.

Others said that following the introduction of the new limits, drivers were failing to comply with them and were continuing to travel through the village at 30mph (48 km/h) and overtaking other drivers.

The meeting heard that Nicholls had also conducted a survey which had 316 responses, with 138 people saying they wanted to keep the lower limits and 101 supporting a return to the previous restrictions.

A further 77 respondents said they backed keeping the new limits, though with amendments.

The meeting heard that concerns remained about drivers speeding along approaches to Bishopthorpe, with a top speed of 96mph (155 km/h) recorded on Sim Balk Lane southbound in September 2024.

Meanwhile, an eight-day survey recorded a top speed of 62mph (100 km/h) along the same route last May.

The May survey also recorded top speeds of almost 75mph (121 km/h) in Bishopthorpe Road southbound and almost 62mph in Appleton Road in the same direction.

The meeting decided to keep 20mph limits in place in a reduced area of Bishopthorpe, while the council would look at measures it could take on Appleton Road, Bishopthorpe Road and Sim Balk Lane.

Plans for measures such as physical management and buffer zones would be drawn up and considered at a later date, councillors were told.