Beighton Bypass A57 speed limit

[Cyclone 10]

But this time it is the limit, and not just for a mile or even two. 5.4 miles of road changed from NSL, some of it was 70 for cars before, now 50.

 

I'm aware of the changes around the fire station, I can't remember ever having been able to turn right out of the Swallownest junction. They have recently changed the layout of the roundabout just prior to the Swallownest junction though (it's worse now IMO).

 

I wasn't driving, but I can actually remember this section of the A57 being built.

 

Basically, I don't trust the council. I'd like to see the statistics, with a comparison of accident levels for similar roads (and similar lengths of road since they've included nearly 6 miles of it), before I'll believe that what they've done is an effective safety measure.

Note the wording. They might even believe, in a naive sort of way that this IS a safety measure.

[the fonz 10]

I wonder how exactly they justify changing so much road from NSL to 50 using accident statistics. It surely wasn't an accident black spot from the M1 Jnc 31, all the way to Coisley Hill (I've driven that route tonight).

 

Id guess you could always argue that a speed reduction is a safety precaution, because in general its accepted that lowering speeds lowers the frequency and severity of accidents.

 

There are, as you have pointed out instances where this is not that case.

[Meltman 311]

It seems the people who make these changes (council/planning /police??) are not always consistent and I wonder if sometimes the changes are made to cover up mistakes or bad decisions in the first place. the right turn at Aston was stopped , rightly, because it was dangerous but the right turn coming the other way from J31 is also dangerous. This junction should have been designed better in the first place. The A57 from the parkway should have been designed better too but I suppose cost played a major part and yes I know hind sight is a marvelous thing and I haven't got it!

[DT Ralge 10]

It seems the people who make these changes (council/planning /police??) are not always consistent and I wonder if sometimes the changes are made to cover up mistakes or bad decisions in the first place. the right turn at Aston was stopped , rightly, because it was dangerous but the right turn coming the other way from J31 is also dangerous. This junction should have been designed better in the first place. The A57 from the parkway should have been designed better too but I suppose cost played a major part and yes I know hind sight is a marvelous thing and I haven't got it!

 

Bad design in the first place? Maybe, maybe not.

The original design and the attached flow plans/volume and risk assessments could easily have been overtaken by changes in flows and volumes as drivers over time take advantage of differently perceived "rat runs".

Consequently the Council is constantly fighting a rearguard battle and catching up with reality. At other times, to reinforce the message that Councils sometimes (successfully) aim to be ahead of the game and get involved in interventions that ignore the limit, anyone worked out why their rumble strips before and after junctions go across ALL of the road on entrance and exit?

[s6chris 10]

I did wonder how long it would be before this road was reduced, but what people don't realise is that the maximum speed you can legally travel on the entirety of the A57 through the Sheffield boundary is 50mph! I've now started using the old route through Handsworth to get to Aughton/Swallownest as that road has sensible speed limits, not to mention fewer roundabouts. The whole road from the Parkway to the M1 was built on the cheap so it's no surprise to me there have been several serious accidents.

[Cyclone 10]

Id guess you could always argue that a speed reduction is a safety precaution, because in general its accepted that lowering speeds lowers the frequency and severity of accidents.

 

There are, as you have pointed out instances where this is not that case.

 

And you have to justify it, otherwise we wouldn't allow 70 limits at all. Safer at 30 right... But not worth the inconvenience it would cause.