Thought you all might be interested in this from the Department for Regional Development (DRD).
The Roads (Speed Limit) (No. 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014 – looking at reducing the speed limit in Belfast City Center to 20mph and other speed limit changes in other areas in Northern Ireland.
So as the document says, “Any person may, within a period of 22 days from the date of publication of this Notice, object to the proposals in writing to the Department at the addresses above stating the grounds for objection.”
Is this really giving you a chance to have your say to object or if you have been calling for speed reductions is this the final process that will give you satisfaction that the system works?
Speed Limit Order – Document Details
The Road Traffic (Speed Limits) Bill
A Bill to set a maximum speed limit on residential roads of 20 miles per hour – is still going through the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The principal objective of the Bill is to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on the roads and create a safer environment in this region.
Road Traffic (Speed Limits) Bill – Northern Ireland Assembly – Click Here
Our Previous Comments to 20mph Limits – Re-Inventing the Wheel
Meanwhile making all this seem superfluous is the fact that Northern Ireland already has 20mph zones in place and a dedicated plan to introduce where they are actually needed along with other plans of action and continued work.
This is set out in the DOE (Department of the Environment) Northern Ireland’s Road Safety Strategy To 2020 Vision: Driving Road Safety Forward, a document that was produced after consultation with the whole of the community in Northern Ireland and published in 2011. The consultation was responded to by 78 organisations and named participants and 40 organisations with an interest in all aspects of road safety in the Pre-Consultation Engagement, including Right To Ride.
In the strategies vision, “to make a journey on Northern Ireland’s roads as safe for all road users as anywhere in the world”, one of the measures to help achieve this is to, consider the applicability of urban speed reduction initiatives and to assess the potential for wider introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas and other urban areas where there is a significant presence of vulnerable road users
In the section on safer roads the strategy states:
In terms of urban limits, we will continue to research the outcome of urban speed reduction initiatives in GB and elsewhere and assess their applicability to Northern Ireland. This will consider the wider introduction of enforceable 20mph speed limits in residential areas and other urban areas where there is a significant presence of vulnerable road users.
We will pilot enforceable 20mph speed limits without traffic calming engineering measures. To date in Northern Ireland, 20mph zones have tended only to be used in conjunction with traffic calming engineering measures such as road humps, tables and cushions to make the limit ‘self-enforcing’. This would make 20mph limits more economical to introduce and allow for the possibility of their wider use, in appropriate environments, in a way that is more comparable with how other speed limits are set and introduced.
Following the successful installation of pilot schemes at two local primary schools and, subject to available funding, we will develop a programme of part time 20mph speed limits at rural schools on roads where the national speed limit applies. As part of this programme we will investigate options for more cost effective signing systems as an alternative to those used in the pilots.
We will continue to target the safety camera scheme at sites which have high numbers of people killed or seriously injured and redeploy resources, as appropriate, to emerging high risk locations. We will also continue to enforce speed limits in villages or towns through the community concern aspect of the scheme.
These issues are further highlighted in the – Summary of Action Measures
- Following the successful installation of pilot schemes at two primary schools and, subject to available funding, we will develop a programme of part time 20mph speed limits at rural schools on roads where the national speed limit applies. We will investigate options for more cost effective signing systems as an alternative to those used in the pilots.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD) and PSNI.
- We will consider the wider introduction of enforceable and advisory 20mph speed limits in residential areas and other urban areas where there is a significant presence of vulnerable road users.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD) and PSNI.
- We will pilot 20mph speed limits, without traffic calming engineering measures such as road humps, tables and cushions.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD) and PSNI.
- We will continue to target traffic calming measures in those areas where vulnerable road users, such as children, are frequently crossing the road.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD).
- We will increase the size of repeater roundels on roads where excess speed has been identified as an issue.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD).
- We will research the outcome of urban speed reduction initiatives in GB and elsewhere and assess their applicability to Northern Ireland.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD).
- We will assess the effectiveness of traffic calming measures in urban areas.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD).
- We will develop options to address the lack of understanding about the relationship between street lighting and the default speed limit of 30 mph.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD).
- We will consider the introduction of portable vehicle-activated/speed indicator signs at sites where speeding has been identified as an issue.
This is a short term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD) and PSNI.
- Where there is provision for cyclists, we will, wherever practical, seek to ensure they are physically separated from vehicular traffic; in urban areas where this is not possible we will consider making the speed limit 20mph.
This is a medium term action with the responsibility by Department for Regional Development (DRD).To put this simply in terms of the ‘20s Plenty for us’ (campaign for 20mph zones) and the private members bill, these efforts and energy are not required.
We do not say this often, but those who are in charge of legislating, seem to be doing a good job without the added distraction of well-meaning interfering ‘Do-gooders’.
They have listened and reacted in a positive manner from all those who have involved themselves in Road Safety issues and all those who responded to the DOE Consultation on road safety.
Note: Short Term – first three years of strategy – Medium Term for the next 3 or 4 years (from 2014).
Road Safety Strategy To 2020 – On Right To Ride – Click Here
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