Five town and parish councils in the Dorset Council area are a step closer to implementing new 20mph speed limits and zones.
Since the council launched its new scheme in November 2022, 8 applications have been considered by the council’s new 20mph Panel Group.
The successful applications are in:
- Bridport town centre
- Langton Matravers
- Wimborne town centre
- Winfrith Newburgh
- Pimperne
The applications are now being assessed for funding. They will then go through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) public consultation where residents can give their comments, support, or object to the proposals.
An application for Poundbury requires further investigation. Fifehead Magdalen paused their application to consider an alternative application for a Speed Indicator Device, and Fontmell Magna did not meet the required criteria.
All applicants have been notified of the results.
Applications made since 1 March up until 31 August will be considered later this year, with 4 further applications already in the pipeline and another 38 areas expressing an interest.
The council’s road safety manager and local community highway teams have engaged with parish and town councils and Dorset Council councillors, providing guidance throughout the application process.
Councillor Ray Bryan, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “This initiative is in response to community concerns about road safety and healthy areas in towns and villages.
“We are committed to working with local towns and parishes to promote road safety. Limiting speeds to 20mph where people walk, live and play is one way people can benefit from streets that are healthier and safer.
“The process does not seek to set a 20mph limit as the default for all roads where people and vehicle traffic mix but it takes a consistent approach to dealing with applications, with a policy that is: implementable by considering national guidance; affordable, placing minimum strain on council budgets; and enforceable by the Police.”
Ian Vaughan Arbuckle representing Langton Matravers Parish Council said: “We are delighted to have cleared the first and probably the most difficult hurdle in our quest to get a 20mph limit through the centre of the village: this is something residents have wanted for many years. The new limit will undoubtedly improve the quality of life for residents and make the centre of the village a far safer place.”
Assessing applications
Each application is assessed against a set of requirements, and Dorset Council will fund those schemes deemed to be a high priority. Town and parish councils will have the opportunity to self-fund lower priority schemes. If a proposed scheme does not meet the criteria, Dorset Council will work with town and parish councils on alternative ways to promote speed reduction, such as the installation of Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs).
Schemes must offer the maximum benefit for the affected communities. This includes quality of life, healthier lifestyles, sustainability and environmental benefits, alongside other important considerations such as reduction of collisions.
The status of the road in question is also factored into the final decision: for example if it is a strategic route, primarily for the movement of motor vehicles it will not meet the requirements.
Existing speeds are also taken into account, and there should be significant community support for a 20mph limit or zone.
Find out more
Residents interested in the implementation of new 20mph speed limits in their local area should contact their town or parish council or local Dorset councillor (ward member).
The 20mph Panel Group comprises: Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways; Cabinet Lead for Highways and Travel; Transport Planning Team Leader; Transport Planning Implementation Manager, and Road Safety Manager.
20 MPH zones are a nanny-state, virtue-signalling, annoying and impractical attempt to save lives. But all they do is to slow traffic, increase pollution, cause jams and raise extra cash through fining the easy motorist target. And don’t lean on statistics: if the speed limit was reduced to zero there’d be no road deaths, but the statisticians would be delighted. Scotland is full of worthless 20 MPH zones, mostly in unneccesary areas.
If you’ve had to walk along one of the many roads in Dorset that have no pavements, you would appreciate a lower speed limit, particularly in villages. Why are motorists so arrogant about other road users?
As each household grows and more families have multiple cars per family but live in villages where off road parking is not an option, there will always be problems. Moving cars having to negotiate those parked cars in limited spaces of a village lane is not easy and reducing the speed limit for all vehicles is not going to help this issue. There used to be a two speed limit for all villages where cars did 30mph and tractors, vans, lorries had to do 20 mph. This was policable and most kept to these rules. Reducing all to 20mph is not conjusive and will cause universal issues unless the underlying issues of slalem type parking is addressed first. No parking on blind corners or junctions etc. Then long term solutions can be implemented more successfully. To universally make all vehicles including large ones the same 20mph is ridiculous in small villages.
I’m a non-driver and I think I agree about slowing down when traversing villages without pavements, but I’m uncertain whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages where pavements exist. Have any independent studies been published that show the expected decrease in deaths and injuries for different environments and then compare the outturn against the expectation over, say 12-24 months? I would prefer to know that my taxes are being spent on the basis of scientific evidence rather than because of a praiseworthy but misguided belief that slowing all traffic down automatically results in many lives saved and injuries avoided.
Hi, the schemes are evaluated against a range of criteria, details here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/20-mile-per-hour-mph-policy#assessment-criteria-for-consideration-of-potential-20mph-schemes Regards, Claire
The 20mph limit is a political agenda and nothing to do with the individual issues within villages and towns.
Parking on a narrow road outside a house with no offroad parking is fine but not when moving vehicles need to weave in and out to get through. Sort out the underlying issues first before implementing a political ideal of lowering speed limits
Hi Jacqueline, the 20mph initiative for towns and parishes is in response to their concerns about road safety and healthy areas in their towns and villages. Town and parish councils apply to Dorset Council for new zones and Dorset Council’s role is to evaluate those applications. This process does not seek to set a 20mph limit as the default, schemes must offer the maximum benefit for the affected communities. Claire
Totally agree to this proposal. I am a driver and pedestrian. Saw one comment about 20 mph increasing pollution !!! My car burns more fuel at 30 mph then it does at 20 mph so not sure what they are driving.
I have lived in Wimborne since 1969 and have seen the expansion of housing leading to increased traffic congestion which means that the average speed of vehicles during the day is kept low. I can therefore see no reason why funds should be spent on new signage etc needed to implement a 20 mph speed limit. Surely their are more important services that the money could be spent on!