Call to save lives by cutting speed limits in Cirencester

8:56am Friday 11th January 2013 in News By Laura Shack

Police incident sign on the Cirencester bypass near the hospital Police incident sign on the Cirencester bypass near the hospital

A CAMPAIGN to drive down speed limits in Cirencester is set to be launched following the death of a grandmother on a busy dual carriageway.

In the past three weeks, three lives have been lost on roads in and around Cirencester.

The town's deputy mayor Joe Harris said change was needed and he plans to launch a long-term campaign by the end of this month to increase road safety.

Along with initiatives to raise speed awareness and to better educate young drivers, Cllr Harris said he hoped to reduce the speed limit along the A429 stretch from Cirencester Hospital to the Royal Agricultural College.

"At the moment it’s 70mph which is ridiculous. It’s not the longest stretch of road and you just go from one roundabout to the other.

"If that was a new road you would never make it national speed limit, especially because it’s in a residential area and with a school next to it. It definitely needs to be reduced."

The initiative holds particular significance for the councillor, whose friend 18-year-old James Griffiths, from Coates, died in a car crash on the Tetbury Road in December 2011.

"All car related deaths shouldn’t have to happen," Joe said. "This will be a positive campaign."

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Standard readers have also called for speed limits to be revised around the town and safety barriers put in place following the death of 59-year-old Susan MacKenzie, from Cirencester, who was hit by a car as she crossed the A429 last week.

'The News Reader' commented on the Standard's website: "I would vote for an immediate 30 mph speed restriction from the Waitrose roundabout to the Agriculture College roundabout.

"Literally hundreds of kids walk this section to Deer Park and the college every day and it's really scary having cars driving 70mph only feet away from you."

What do you think? Have your say below.

Comments(8)

Bob Henson says...
9:42am Fri 11 Jan 13

There is a footbridge at one end of the section of dual carriageway, and an underpass at the other. Why penalise thousands of motorists because a couple of people are too stupid or too bone idle to use the safe crossings?

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Dave - Cirencester says...
10:34am Fri 11 Jan 13

There is an underpass which the schoolchildren use and are at no risk on the road. There is a footbridge and people should not be trying to cross the road, no matter what the speed limit is.
The recent deaths have all been car crashes including someone driving off a bridge, one due to flooding and skidding and the third loosing control of the car I think. What has that to do with Cirencester speed limits.

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safetyaware says...
10:40am Fri 11 Jan 13

Bob is quite right and quite brave of him to say so in such tragic circumstances. I posted a response in the comments on that accident highlighting the footbridge and underpass. I believe the incident referred to actually happened more or less under the footbridge and the crossing started adjacent to the entry to that footbridge. Above the underpass, there is a metal railing in the central reservation to dissuade people from crossing - many just jump over it! The 30mph limit suggested for that section is not realistic and I could guarantee that it would be largely ignored so totally pointless.
The Council/Highways are at fault in one respect because the road is incorrectly signed; the road is lit which suggests 30mph but it is actually a National speed limit. There should be the appropriate repeater signs along that section as there are on the section between Kingsmeadow roundabout and London Road. Perhaps 50mph for the whole of the 'old' bypass would be more sensible? After all, speed limits are only effective if they are complied with or enforced. Think of the outcry if a traffic camera is placed along that stretch, I am sure the Council would be accused of generating money?

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The News Reader says...
12:52pm Fri 11 Jan 13

I think that out of respect to the friends and relatives of the deceased, those contributing here should be aware that that somebody needlessly lost their life here. The terrible incident of last week took place outside alleyway into the side of Chesterton Park, so away from the bridge, the underpass, and the railings in the central reservation, but at an often used crossing point. Some people cannot physically manage the bridge and underpass, because they struggle with the gradients involved, but crossing the road certainly isn’t a viable alternative either, particularly because the legal speed limit is 70mph. I made comment last week, chiefly because there are two footpaths that run either side of the length of this road, and it’s not much fun walking along side it, just feet away from something going at that speed. These are very well used paths leading up to Deer Park and the colleges, and down to the hospital. Just a small driver error at 70mph could result in the most dreadful incident just 5 feet from the roadside. How many other roads to you know where the paths are so close to a 70mph road? As Jessica identified last week, the majority of Swindon, with a similar set-up have an imposed 40mph speed limit. so as a minimum, following suit would decrease braking distances should there be a driver error on the road. Motorists are not always the most important thing on tarmac. If budgets were limitless and pedestrians were the priority, then 40mph tomorrow please and in time, a pedestrian crossing halfway along the length of this stretch please. Something good must come from this tragedy, before something terrible happens again.

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safetyaware says...
4:19pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Every death on the road is a needless loss of life but it is invariably an error on the part of the road user, whether they be driver, rider or pedestrian that causes such a loss. Because 'many people cross there' does not make it safe. It is the people left behind who suffer most as in this case. It will have had a traumatic effect on the family and friends of the deceased but also on the driver and her two young children who will have to live with that experience for the rest of their lives. There is too much of a rush to come up with over simplistic solutions to what is a complex situation. How do we educate people not to do rash or foolish things? Does evrybody stick to the posted speed limit? I doubt it and the less relevant the speed limit is perceived for the road, the less likely people are to adhere to it.
Perhaps closing the footpath from Chesterton Park to the bypass would be a very cheap, simple but more effective way of stopping people crossing the road at a totally inappropriate place.

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Jessica Rabbit says...
4:54pm Fri 11 Jan 13

I agree with News reader... Also, this is not about the tragic event, unfortunately it took that to make us discuss the speed limit on our dual carriageways. My suggestion is that all those opposed to reducing the limit walk up and down the pathways, both sides, for an hour a day at rush hour for a week, and then see if you still feel the same.

Walking up the hill, hospital side, is terrifying, it feels like lorries are going to touch you and it is so loud you can not talk to the person walking near you. I've seen cars weave in and out and others wheel spinning off the roundabout.

This is a safety issue... Children walk this stretch every day, lets not wait till one of them is tragically hit by speed or accident, remember... anyone could trip and fall on to the road, braking at 40mph will give the vulnerable person lying in the road a better outcome of survival.

Over the years I believe 3 teenagers have lost their lives due to speeding on that stretch of road and last year a car lost control and smashed in to the bus stop... what if 5,10,15 people were there waiting for a bus?

Come on guys.. lets be sensible, there is no need for speed... I mean what does driving at 70mph save you time wise instead of 40mph on that small stretch... 5-10 seconds maybe?

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safetyaware says...
5:37pm Fri 11 Jan 13

You are quite right Jessica, as you say let's be sensible. If everybody was sensible and drove at an appropriate speed for the conditions then we would not be talking about this here. Unfortunately people do not always do the sensible thing. I recently saw a car being driven along Cranhams Lane with a sticker in the rear window - "20 is Plenty" - speed of the car? In excess of 30mph! So the intention was there but unfortuanetly, on this particular occassion, the action was not. Just changing the speed limit will not achieve the desired result. Has anybody in these comments said that the speed limit should NOT be changed on the bypass? I think not but the call for a 30 or 40 mph limit is a poor gut reaction. Do people stick to the 30mph limit on Chesterton Lane -NO! There are more children walking ON that road mornings and afternoons but people still drive along there at those times at 30+. Is 30mph appropriate in those circumstances. Let's have a sensible discussion on Road Safety as a whole, rather than panic reaction to a specific event. Ask yourselves, would a 30mph speed limit have stopped this event happening? Does anybody know the speed of the car at the time of this regrettable crash?

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rotax17 says...
10:54pm Sun 13 Jan 13

This isn't the first time there has been a pedestrian death on this stretch of rd, in the early nineties a young lad returning from school was struck by an out of control speeding car and was killed. Speed was a factor in that collision but nothing was done then to change speed limits. It's too early to comment on the cause of this collision, but had these rds circled swindon they would be a 40/50 limit , that may make a difference in the future....

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