Agenda item

(a)       That the proposals set out in Appendix A of the report be noted; and

(b)       That the comments of the Committee on the proposals be presented within the final Cabinet report. 

The Head of Assets and Transportation introduced the report to inform Members of the conclusions of the speed limit review covering the ‘A class’ and ‘B class’ road network within the Authority. 

He detailed the background to the report explaining that initial proposals were presented to the Committee in November 2012.  It was agreed that following consultation with local Members and Town & Community Councils, the findings would be reported back to Committee for comment before being submitted to Cabinet for consideration.  He advised that any approved changes would require the support of the North Wales Police, and would also be subject to full statutory consultation to meet the requirements of the procedures for introducing Traffic Regulation Orders.  The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment said that the review had given Members the opportunity to comment on the proposals and that further comments made at this meeting would be considered by Cabinet. 

Councillor Chris Dolphin welcomed the report and thanked the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Environment and the officers for their work on the issue.  He referred to proposal 17 for the A5026 in Lloc and said that he felt that a 40 mile per hour (mph) speed limit would be supported if a footway was considered for the remainder of the road.  The Director of Environment said that the suggestion would be considered but added that resources needed to be prioritised. 

Councillor Ray Hughes also welcomed the report and thanked officers for the proposals for speed limits in his ward.  Councillor Cindy Hinds referred to proposal 1 for the A5104 in Pontblyddyn and said that a reduction to 40mph had been requested as the road was dangerous due to the difficult exit out of Stryt Issa onto the A5104.  The Head of Assets and Transportation felt that this would be too slow a speed for the road and advised that the proposals would reduce the limit from the current 60mph to 50mph.  He added that the whole of the route had been assessed which had resulted in the proposed reduction in the speed limit to 50mph.  The Traffic Services Manager concurred that 40mph was too low a speed for all of the route and advised that signs could be erected to address the individual hazards on the road.  The Chairman suggested that further information on the decision to not reduce the speed limit to 40mph be forwarded to Councillors Hinds and Hughes.  In response to the comments made, the Director of Environment said that officers worked closely with the Traffic Police and considered accident statistics and other issues before making a recommendation for the speed limit for the section of road. 

Councillor David Evans queried whether a timetable was in place to carry out the proposed changes.  The Director of Environment responded that the guidance had indicated that any changes should be implemented by 31 December 2014 but it had been agreed that the new speed limits would be in place by 31 March 2015.  Work would be required to identify phasing of the required works taking into account the proposals and costs involved. 

Councillor Veronica Gay referred to the retention of the speed limits on the A5104 from Broughton to Saltney Ferry Road and said that the change from 50mph to 30pmh created problems and asked whether the 30mph area could be extended.  The Traffic Services Manager explained that the visibility on the road was good and that there would be no benefit to moving the 30mph area back.  He added that pre-warning signs were also not required as they were only erected when there was insufficient sighting of the primary signs which was not the case on this road.  The Chairman suggested that it be reconsidered and discussed with Councillor Gay. 

Councillor Colin Legg appreciated the work that had been undertaken but asked if 20mph zones could be put in place for all schools in Flintshire, highlighting proposal 31 for the B5123 in Halkyn.  The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment indicated that he had requested that work be undertaken to identify the cost of implementing 20mph zones for all schools.  The work was ongoing and would be the subject of a report to a future meeting. 

Councillor Peter Curtis referred to the Holywell to Bagillt road and the reduction in speed limit from 60mph to 50mph.  He said that Holywell Town Council had requested a reduction to 40mph due to the concerns about the amount of traffic using the road, in particular double decker buses.  Councillor Chris Dolphin agreed with suggestion to reduce the limit to 40mph due to low hanging trees making the surface of the road slippery.  The Head of Assets and Transportation advised that it could be reconsidered. 

In response to a query from Councillor Nancy Matthews about ‘C roads’, the Director of Environment said that the authority had a duty to look after ‘A and B roads’ first but that once this had been completed, work would be undertaken to review ‘C roads’. 

The Chairman reminded Members that this was a phased approach but requested that a timetable with an indication of priorities be provided when it was available.  He also suggested that the speed limit review be reconsidered by Committee in 12 months. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the proposals set out in Appendix A of the report be noted; and

(b)       That the comments of the Committee on the proposals be presented within the final Cabinet report.