New speed limit for town centre vetoed by council

A plan to reduce the speed limit to 20mph in the centre of a Herefordshire town has been rejected.

Locals had prompted an investigation into the practicality of the current 30mph speed limit on Broad Street, High Street and Twyning Street in Bromyard, and whether it was better to introduce a lower speed limit.

There were no objections from the fire and ambulance services, the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association, or the "locality steward" at the council's public realm contractor, Balfour Beatty.

Herefordshire Council rejected the idea during a consultation last year but only published it this month.

Ward councillor for Bromyard West, Clare Davies, backed the idea. However, councillor Peter Stoddart, of neighbouring Bromyard Bringsty, opposed it.

Both he and the town council questioned what would be achieved by introducing a 20mph speed limit "given that the speeds were already very low", Herefordshire Council's decision document explained.

A traffic survey found that "existing vehicle speeds are significantly below Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guideline intervention level" and if a 20mph speed limit was implemented "there would likely be a high likelihood of compliance".

Government guidance on such proposals states they should only be introduced where there is community support.

Given the lack of favour from elected community representatives, council officials recommended that a new Speed Limit Order for the town "should not be progressed any further".

The current 30mph speed limit "is appropriate for the section of road under investigation and there is a lack of local support for the proposal", they concluded.

The £1,800 cost of the exercise was paid for out of the council's Extra Ordinary Market Town Fund.

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