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Highway speed limit review

Published: 15/09/2017

On Tuesday, 19 September the Council’s Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider a report detailing progress on a Cabinet commitment made in September 2016 to undertake a review to address historic inconsistencies associated with the Authority’s speed limit Orders and create a Single Consolidated Speed Limit Order (SCSLO), which would ensure confidence in both the appropriateness and legality of all speed limit Orders in the County. A number of key actions have since been completed as the Council moves towards the creation of the (SCSLO), including the creation of simplified Order writing process and a mapping exercise that accurately records the position of all existing speed limits. All Members were asked to highlight speed limit concerns within their own wards and as a result, over 100 requests for speed limit reviews were received. Each request was then assessed against Department for Transport (DfT) criteria to determine if changes to the existing speed limit could be made. A commitment was also given to review all existing speed limits within the County over a 5-year-period to ensure they comply with DfT criteria once the (SCSLO) is in place, however this process has been brought forward following reviews of sections of the road network identified by Members. It is anticipated that the(SCSLO) will be advertised during week commencing 16 October 2017 for a statutory period of 21 days, with a view to advertising the consolidation in March 2018, after which the county wide review of the individual speed limits will begin. All speed limits will be available to the public to view in an easy to read Map Reference Books at main libraries, County Hall Mold and Alltami Depot as well as being available on the Council’s website. Cllr. Carolyn Thomas, Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Countryside said; “Inaccuracies existed within some of the current speed limit Orders due to changes to features of the highway network which were used to locate the start and end of some of the original Orders. “In moving towards a single consolidated speed limit Order we have been able to simplify a previously over complicated process and make more effective use of resources to address the current inaccuracies. “The creation of an electronic map based system will play a key role in moving away from the archaic written Order process, allowing the Authority’s speed limits to be both viewed and advertised within a simple and easy to understand map based format “I would like to thank council members for their contributions to this review which have allowed us to make good, steady and thorough progress.”