New clause 7 - National speed limit for villages
Road Safety Bill
3:39 pm
Mr Greg Knight (Shadow Minister, Environment and Transport; East Yorkshire, Conservative)
The hon. Gentleman has performed a useful service in tabling the new clause, if only so that we can look at it and dismiss it. It is not anti-motorist, but it is impractical because it is too inflexible. Many villages would support the imposition of a 30 mph speed limit, but many others would take the opposite view. That is why I cannot support his blanket approach.
To give an example, I used to live many years ago in the village of Thurmaston, Leicestershire, which has been bisected by a dual carriageway that runs straight through the village. There is a pedestrian over-bridge and a pedestrian subway and, I believe, fencing on both sides of the road. As far as I am aware, there is no public wish for the speed limit on the road to be reduced to 30 mph.
The A1 runs through several villages, not all of which have a 30 mph limit. Considering the proximity of houses to the carriageway of the A1, there is a good reason for not having a 30 mph limit in force. I hope that the Minister will say that the hon. Gentleman's approach would be too inflexible, because that is certainly the conclusion that I have reached.
There may be a case for examining the inconsistency of speed limits across the UK. I for one would favour a speed limit audit by the Government to determine what local authorities are doing in different parts of the country, and publication of the findings. If that has been done, I am not aware of it, or, if it is under way, I would like to hear of it. If it has still to be done, perhaps we should do it.