Ecclesfield Road (Woolley Wood Bottom) speed limit/closures

[sgtkate]

For people who speed the speed limit is somewhat academic so it doesnt matter if its 50, 60 or 70.

 

For those who keep to the limit the 50mph is safer in the sense that if there is an accident, the reduced speed will reduce the severity of the accident.

 

Surely setting the speed limit to 1mph is the safest then?

[the fonz]

Not at all, but isnt the onus on you to show that reducing the limit to 50 will reduce accidents?

 

http://www.road-safety.org.uk/sites/default/files/resource_downloads/Neale%20Kinnear%20-%20Changing%20speed%20limits%20Implications%20for%20road%20safety.pdf

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457505001247

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2733/setting-local-speed-limits.pdf

 

As a general rule for every 1 mph reduction in average speed, collision frequency reduces by around 5% (Taylor, Lynam and Baruya, 2000).

 

---------- Post added 30-03-2016 at 15:24 ----------

 

Surely setting the speed limit to 1mph is the safest then?

 

Speed limits should be evidence-led and self-explaining and seek to reinforce people's assessment of what is a safe speed to travel. They should encourage self-compliance. Speed limits should be seen by drivers as the maximum rather than a target speed.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2733/setting-local-speed-limits.pdf

 

Its a balance isnt it, would you rather there were no speed limits at all in the other extreme?

Edited March 30, 2016 by the fonz

[denlin]

We went on there on Thursday and the limit has been reduced to 50mph and advisory of 30mph in case of flood/bad rain

[Hambeast]

 

As a general rule for every 1 mph reduction in average speed, collision frequency reduces by around 5% (Taylor, Lynam and Baruya, 2000).

 

How would that work if a limit is reduced by more than 20mph?

[denlin]

Do you know I only came on this topic because I was curious having travelled on this road for fourteen years to and fro to work through all weather conditions at 30mph or the National Speed Limit of 70mph, sorry 60mph it was 70mph when I passed my test that was what the sign meant 70mph then and after the recent events, sad loss of another life and the flooding getting worse I wondered what the issue or other peoples thoughts are, I thought my pennies worth may be of interest but now I think I was wrong, the council were lobbied after resent events to make changes to the B6082 Woolly Wood Bottom area and other changers may be on the cards, Yorkshire Water may be redoing the main drains if you look as you flash past there are markings on the road and pathway because it was not just water after heavy rain that washed down it was also raw sewage from the housing estates in Wincobank that flooded the road the cut outs on the left had side in the curb stones are only to ease the problem until the drains are looked at, so you could be down to 10mph and traffic cueing, whether the speed limit is 40mph or 100mph some idiot will always try and go faster over take on the blind bends, thats why it needs double white lines, and not follow the rules of the road or the weather conditions, some person who is a new driver or not too sure of themselves will go slower some will be late for work some may not get there, so you will never have a perfect constant speed to suite you, me or everyone, me I’m happy at 30mph, 70mph, there I go again 60mph and regarding not driving on the B6082 over the fourteen years I have travelled on there if there was a problem with that particular road I know every conceivable route around that area to get me from Carlisle street to Ecclesfield while people are still stood in traffic looking at their speedo’s at the minimum on a good day I could do it in just over ten minutes so I don’t stand still, so I will let you have the final say on our conversation, please don't shout. Happy Motoring to you.

 

It has never been 70 on Ecclesfield Road (Woolley Wood Bottom) . The National Speed Limit according to Highway Code is the maximum allowed for the type of road and this is also governed by the width of the road and whether it is in a built up area. The only roads designated at 70mph maximum are A roads and motorways.

[the fonz]

How would that work if a limit is reduced by more than 20mph?

 

Its a general rule, im not sure how scale of the change effects the reduction.

[sgtkate]

http://www.road-safety.org.uk/sites/default/files/resource_downloads/Neale%20Kinnear%20-%20Changing%20speed%20limits%20Implications%20for%20road%20safety.pdf

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457505001247

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2733/setting-local-speed-limits.pdf

 

As a general rule for every 1 mph reduction in average speed, collision frequency reduces by around 5% (Taylor, Lynam and Baruya, 2000).

 

---------- Post added 30-03-2016 at 15:24 ----------

 

 

Speed limits should be evidence-led and self-explaining and seek to reinforce people's assessment of what is a safe speed to travel. They should encourage self-compliance. Speed limits should be seen by drivers as the maximum rather than a target speed.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2733/setting-local-speed-limits.pdf

 

Its a balance isnt it, would you rather there were no speed limits at all in the other extreme?

 

I agree with your last couple of statements. Reducing a speed limit to the point where it becomes seemingly too slow for the road for the majority of drivers is therefore pointless. I'd love for there to be no speed limits and for the police to solely prosecute based on dangerous driving laws, however I am also a realist!

[nikita]

been along twice today and was behind about ten cars as some numpty must think its been reduced to 40mph i wont give it 6 months before someone is killed with all the over taking on there now

 

I drive along that bit of road a lot visiting the care home on there,How long does it take to drive from one end of the woods to the other before you reach the 40mph sign again,i guess about 2 or 3 mins at the most,so why cant people just hold back the tempers and overtaking for two mins,its not that big a stretch of road.Its not worth getting worked up about.

[the fonz]

Reducing a speed limit to the point where it becomes seemingly too slow for the road for the majority of drivers is therefore pointless.

 

Just reading the posts on this thread suggest that quite a few don't think its too slow though. There were also lot of signatures on the petitions supporting the reduction in speed.

[GhostRiders]

For people who speed the speed limit is somewhat academic so it doesnt matter if its 50, 60 or 70.

 

For those who keep to the limit the 50mph is safer in the sense that if there is an accident, the reduced speed will reduce the severity of the accident.

 

I entirely agree.

 

However, as far as I'm aware (as I have previously stated several times on this thread) the serious accidents that have occurred on this road have been due to the weather conditions (and thus more likely to be, although I cannot state this for certain) due to driving inappropriately for the conditions rather than as a result of the speed limit.

 

Furthermore the majority of accidents on this road occur outside the reduced zone, so I fail to see how reducing the speed limit from 60 to 50 will have any effect on accident reduction, as the old nsl, as far as I'm aware was not a factor in the accidents.

 

Also it's important to note that some people on this road simply don't stick to the limit, and as such the recent reduction is more likely to cause people to attempt to overtake on a road not suitable for overtaking on.

 

Unfortunately many of those in favour of the 10mph reduction are simply not taking any of these factors into account.

 

---------- Post added 30-03-2016 at 23:02 ----------

 

Speed limits should be evidence-led and self-explaining and seek to reinforce people's assessment of what is a safe speed to travel. They should encourage self-compliance. Speed limits should be seen by drivers as the maximum rather than a target speed.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2733/setting-local-speed-limits.pdf

 

Its a balance isnt it, would you rather there were no speed limits at all in the other extreme?

 

But if my assessment of this road is correct (and until I see any data, which I can't find and no one else has provided I can only go on personal experience) 60 mph was a safe speed to travel on this road.

 

Only idiots trying to overtake (which, again in my experience has increased since the reduction) and inappropriate driving for the conditions make this a dangerous road, not the previous nsl.

 

So if the speed limit is to be evidence led I fail to see why it's been reduced if it wasn't a factor in the accidents.

 

Also, and I may have got this totally wrong I admit but I m finding this confusing, if they are to encourage self-complience (and are a maximum, not a target which I entirely agree with) should the fact that people happily whizz along there at 60 and 70 plus mph not say something about the roads suitability as a nsl road?

 

For the third time in this topic I'll use the road between upper and lower Bradfield as an example. This road is nsl and I find it difficult going 30+ on there safely, surely if roads are to encourage self compliance the speed limit of this (and probably many other small country roads) should be vastly reduced, or have I totally missed something?