Excessive Speeds Through Housing Estate

janninew · 17 May 2017 at 12:18PM

Afternoon All,

Seeking some advice on speeding cars through my built up estate please. I live on a new build estate, lots of children, family parks and green areas and a 4g football pitch. The speed limit through the estate is 20mph but i'd guess at least 80% of cars are far exceeding this. A young boy was knocked over a fortnight ago, luckily only suffered a broken leg, there was a serious car crash last Friday and a house on the corner plot had a car drive through the fence into the garden. I keep saying its a matter of time until somebody is killed.

The road has recently been resurfaced so its now completely flat and smooth and quite wide, perfect for high speeds! Previously when houses were being built there were some very extreme speed bumps, these didn't bother me and slowed the cars down. When the road was resurfaced they didn't put the speed bumps back in, in fact they've not even painted road markings!

I'm the neighborhood watch rep and I've contacted the police who told me 20mph speed limit zones are unenforceable and legally the road has no speed limits so they couldn't take action if somebody was driving at 80mph through the estate! Surely roads should be 30mph until the 20mph limit is enforced?! Makes no sense to me having 20 zones.

I've contacted the council, they aren't interested as its a private road. I've contact the management company who say the council have said no to speed bumps?! Not sure I believe this though.

Feeling like I've hit a brick wall now and its frustrating.

Many times at night you hear cars tearing down and occasionally feel fear because they are going so fast its unbelievable.

I fear for the children who are playing out, especially as summer approaches.

I'm no goody two shoes and occasionally speed myself, I think most drivers do. But never on a built up area to these crazy extremes.

Any further advice anybody can think of (other than move house!)
Thanks for reading!

onomatopoeia99 · 17 May 2017 at 12:43PM

The local authority has the power to erect road signs and set speed limits and this includes private / unadopted roads.

If the 20 limit is unenforceable, that suggests it isn't correctly signed and any good defence to a speeding prosecution would make it fail as a consequence. If there are street lights less than 200 yards apart, then the limit is 30 unless otherwise signed and this includes for unadopted roads.

Talk to the council again, road signs are their responsibility as they set the limits. The police can't enforce a limit unless the limit is legally set and signed appropriately, and you haven't told us if this is the case or not.

Johno100 · 17 May 2017 at 12:47PM

I think the only option is to get the roads adopted by the council, have a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) put in place and then, assuming the council considers 20mph to be appropriate, try and get the police to enforce the limit.

Strider590 · 17 May 2017 at 12:53PM

First, the Police aren't going to enforce a limit on that road (not that it's actually the Police that carry out speed enforcement, rather the camera partnerships), speed limit are seemingly only enforced on dual-carriageways and long straight roads (and only if it's not foggy, wet, snowing, cold or dark).

Second, be careful what you wish for, the sound of cars/vans/trucks going over speed bumps will keep you awake at night more than the speeding vehicles.

Lastly, are they speeding that badly? or just loud cars? I've had a tonne of verbal abuse when out driving my kitcar, despite being behind someone doing 30, I get "SLOW DOWN YOU HOOLIGAN" from folks on the footpaths, purely because the car so damn loud.

janninew · 17 May 2017 at 12:58PM

Thank for the responses. I've been doing much research about 20mph zones being enforced and can find no definite answers. The main theme seems to be that they should be self enforced due to other traffic calming measures being used in these zones. Except there are no other traffic calming measures used on my estate, just a lovely, wide, smooth, flat road, perfect for high speeds...

Also just ty add, there are the correct 20mph signs up throughout the estate.

janninew · 17 May 2017 at 1:03PM

Strider590 wrote: »

First, the Police aren't going to enforce a limit on that road (not that it's actually the Police that carry out speed enforcement, rather the camera partnerships), speed limit are seemingly only enforced on dual-carriageways and long straight roads (and only if it's not foggy, wet, snowing, cold or dark).

Second, be careful what you wish for, the sound of cars/vans/trucks going over speed bumps will keep you awake at night more than the speeding vehicles.

Lastly, are they speeding that badly? or just loud cars? I've had a tonne of verbal abuse when out driving my kitcar, despite being behind someone doing 30, I get "SLOW DOWN YOU HOOLIGAN" from folks on the footpaths, purely because the car so damn loud.

The sound of cars going over the speed bumps never bothered me previously for the last 2 years we had them. In fact I can't say I remember hearing them!

Yes most definitely speeding, sometimes that fast you'd struggle to see what type of car it is. I wish I were exaggerating, the damage done to the car on Friday was a sure sign of speed, the police were present as the drivers were injured. One of the cars was that badly damaged, the whole front end was demolished. Most of the cars are't your typical 'boy racer' cars but transit vans, saloon cars etc.

TonyMMM · 17 May 2017 at 1:06PM

There are plenty of places where 20mph limits are enforced using cameras or speed guns.

The important thing to check is that the roads have been adopted, there is a Traffic regulation order (TRO) in place establishing the limits, and the signs are correct (not just something put up by the developers).

If all the above are in place - the limit can be enforced (if the police have the resources).

Car_54 · 17 May 2017 at 1:16PM

Strider590 wrote: »

First, the Police aren't going to enforce a limit on that road (not that it's actually the Police that carry out speed enforcement, rather the camera partnerships), speed limit are seemingly only enforced on dual-carriageways and long straight roads (and only if it's not foggy, wet, snowing, cold or dark).

Really? That will come as news to the many motorists nicked every day by police occifers.

Johno100 · 17 May 2017 at 1:25PM

janninew wrote: »

Thank for the responses. I've been doing much research about 20mph zones being enforced and can find no definite answers. The main theme seems to be that they should be self enforced due to other traffic calming measures being used in these zones. Except there are no other traffic calming measures used on my estate, just a lovely, wide, smooth, flat road, perfect for high speeds...

Also just ty add, there are the correct 20mph signs up throughout the estate.

But who put the signs up? I'd hazard a guess it was probably the developers when they finished building the estate, if so they've no more standing than those 5, 10 or 15mph signs you see in supermarket car parks.

AdrianC · 17 May 2017 at 1:35PM

janninew wrote: »

...legally the road has no speed limits so they couldn't take action if somebody was driving at 80mph through the estate! Surely roads should be 30mph until the 20mph limit is enforced?!

Remember your driving test?

Default speed limits always apply, unless there are sufficient regular reminders to make a different limit apply.
Default is 30 if there are regular streetlights, NSL if there aren't.

Legitimate, and properly signed, 20mph limits ARE enforceable - but should be self-enforcing through road furniture and speed calming measures. Many forces have chosen not to enforce them, but ACPO guidelines are that they should be enforced.

http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/2709.html

kmb500 · 17 May 2017 at 2:10PM

Strider590 wrote: »

Lastly, are they speeding that badly? or just loud cars? I've had a tonne of verbal abuse when out driving my kitcar, despite being behind someone doing 30, I get "SLOW DOWN YOU HOOLIGAN" from folks on the footpaths, purely because the car so damn loud.

Ha, yes I've had that in my MX-5, which had a very loud exhaust. The fact I was driving perfectly safely within speed limits seemed to have no bearing, and people have shouted at me to slow down.

Excessive Speeds Through Housing Estate

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