Is it time to cut the speed limit on the A31? (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Is it time to cut the speed limit on the A31?
11:51am Monday 29th October 2012 in News
Is it time to cut the speed limit on the A31?
What are the solutions to ease the number of serious accidents on the A31 across the New Forest.
Cutting the speed limit :
CAMPAIGNERS say the limit should be reduced to 50mph in a bid to cut the accident rate.
Vehicles can currently travel down Poulner Hill at 70mph. The same limit applies to the eastbound and westbound slip lanes at Ringwood, even though drivers are likely to encounter people using two pedestrian crossings.
New Forest councillors raised the issue in 2008 and called for a 50mph limit between Ringwood and Picket Post. But the Highways Agency rejected their plea.
A spokesman said: “We have looked into the causes of accidents on the A31.
There are a number of factors involved and speed is not one of them.”
Police say many of the crashes are caused by people driving too close to the vehicle in front or overtaking in a dangerous manner.
Any new call to lower the limit is unlikely to make much headway unless police agree to support it.
Widening the road:
ADDING an extra lane in each direction would be hugely expensive and highly controversial because of its impact on the New Forest National Park.
The A31 occupies a massive strip of land across the Forest and environmental groups would almost certainly oppose any additional loss of countryside.
Peter Roberts, chairman of the New Forest Association, said: “The A31 already has a huge impact on the Forest in terms of noise and disturbance. Increasing the width of the road is not the way forward without some form of compensation.”
Mr Roberts said part of the road could be concealed in an artificial tunnel.
“It would contain the A31 as well as benefitting commoners’ stock. Animals could walk over the top, enabling them to move around the Forest more freely,” he said.
The New Forest National Park Authority is one of the organisations that would have to be consulted.
Alternative routes:
UPGRADING other routes through the New Forest National Park would also be opposed on environmental grounds.
Encouraging more traffic to use the A35 Lyndhurst to Christchurch road would worsen the congestion in Lyndhurst, already one of the area’s biggest bottlenecks.
And villages north of the A31 would fight tooth and nail to preserve the peace and tranquillity they currently enjoy.
The B3080 Godshill to Cadnam road is one of the most scenic and unspoilt routes in the district.
Villagers say any significant increase in traffic would destroy the area’s character.
And the already high number of animal accidents on the B3080 would rise sharply if more vehicles started using the narrow unlit road.
Comments(5)
TangoMax
says...
7:22pm Mon 29 Oct 12
There are a number of factors involved and speed is not one of them.”
So what qualifications do you have that means you know better?
"many of the crashes are caused by people driving too close to the vehicle in front"
Changing the speed limit won't help, 10' is too close at any speed, but people often do it. Driver education is the only thing that will help the accidents, or increasing the capacity of the route to create more space. Don't hold your breath for either.
SotonNorth
says...
7:10am Tue 30 Oct 12
Username :)
says...
12:13pm Tue 30 Oct 12
Journey times aren't really reduced, and better they become more predictable as holds significantly reduce.
Traffic noise in surrounding areas reduces.
Whilst drivers may still drive too close to the vehicle in front, the reduced stopping distance at 50 instead of 70 makes this a lesser issue and so fewer rear end shunts actually occur.
If any incidents do occur, the impact is lessened dramatically by that 20mph speed reduction and so they become much more survivable and the roads are cleared much faster afterwards - if indeed they even need closing.
SotonNorth
says...
10:46am Wed 31 Oct 12
What do they expect? The A31 through the New Forest is a high-volume, dualled, intercity trunk route. In most other European countries a road handling these traffic volumes and connecting to settlements the size of the Bournemouth/Poole conurbation would be motorways, but doing things the British way, i.e. doing things by halves, we ended up with a compromised solution of a dual carriageway instead. Compromise in road design results in compromise in road safety.
And anyway, exactly how are you meant to drive differently on a 70mph dual carriageway compared with a 70mph motorway?
Username :) says...
12:29pm Mon 29 Oct 12
It's worked well in other areas where dual carriageways had a high accident rate.
It should increase traffic flow, not only by the reduced risk of incidents/slow downs, but because more vehicles can fit on a road when travelling slower. That's why roads such as the M25 have a variable speed limit to cater for congestion.
It will also have the benefit for the forest of lowering the traffic noise. 50mph traffic is significantly quieter than 70mph traffic.