Time to look again at speed limits policy for Norfolk

I want an urgent debate on road safety policy in Norfolk.

I have written to Andrew Proctor, leader of Norfolk County Council, pointing out that the Council’s speeding policy was adopted in 2014 and has not kept up with changing road use in the County. 

The roads up to the North Norfolk coast are becoming increasingly busy. Patterns of road use have also changed dramatically with increasing use of online shopping and increasingly large agricultural machinery. At the same time, more and more people are walking in the area, taking advantage of the Coastal Path for example.

The County Council’s existing policy on speed management is too rigid. It stops smaller villages, like Trimingham for example, getting speed limits or other speed reducing measures installed where they are needed.

It is an issue affecting people’s lives and wellbeing. It shouldn’t boil down to a cold calculation of the number of houses on a road or even worse the number of deaths and injuries. It needs to start with the assumption that people have a right to live in peaceful communities where they feel safe and where everyone can enjoy the benefits of simply being outdoors without having to worry about dangers from traffic.

Dear Andrew

I hope you are well. Had Full Council been taking place tomorrow I would have asked this question in the meeting but as I don’t have this opportunity I would like to raise it with you now.

One of the issues that causes most concern in communities across my division is road safety. The roads up to the North Norfolk coast are becoming increasingly busy and that trend is unlikely to change. Patterns of road use have also changed dramatically with increasing use of online shopping and increasingly large agricultural machinery. At the same time, more and more people are walking in the area, taking advantage of the Coastal Path for example.

It is a source of constant frustration, to me and to local communities, that the County Council’s existing policy on speed management is so rigid. In particular it stops smaller villages like Trimingham for example, getting speed limits or other speed reducing measures installed where they are needed.

The issue is not simply one that should be addressed from an engineering perspective. It is an issue affecting people’s lives and wellbeing. It shouldn’t boil down to a cold calculation of the number of houses on a road or even worse the number of deaths and injuries. It needs to start with the assumption that people have a right to live in peaceful communities where they feel safe and where everyone can enjoy the benefits of simply being outdoors without having to worry about dangers from traffic.

The existing policy was adopted in 2014 under the previous administration at County Hall. Will you commit to ensuring that the policy is properly reviewed and debated by members as soon as possible after the elections in May if you are in a position to do so?

Thanks and best wishes

Ed Maxfield
County Councillor for Mundesley Division

36a Market Place, North Walsham NR28 9BT
Tel. 07449 706215
www.edmaxfield.org.uk
Twitter: @MaxfieldEd
Facebook: ed.maxfield.94